If there is any change needed in the DC playing XI, it is just batter KL Rahul needs to open for the team. In the last match where they were struggling to chase down 164 vs RCB, Rahul came up with a breezy 93 from 53 deliveries, to hand the team their fourth win in the tournament. He played this knock when the team was 58/4 in 8.4 overs. Then the questions that arises is, why should he continue to bat at No. 4 when he can contribute so much with the bat.
Another factor in this is, Jake Fraser-McGurk has been ordinary in the IPL 2025 season so far, so why not move him down? InsideSport sees the DC predicted playing XI for their match against MI on Sunday.
KL Rahul Deserves to Open for DC
Look, one might say that DC has found their balance in the batting order, with Rahul batting at No. 4, but given he is their best batsman, he certainly needs to be at the top. Jake is failing big time, and maybe could chip in more lower in the order. Faf and Rahul make an ideal opening pair for sure.
Just for the record, KL Rahul has returned with scores of 15, 77, and 93 so far in the tournament. In three matches he has scored 185 runs right now, at an average of 92, and a strike-rate of 169.
No Other Change Needed
Bowling largely looks fine for DC. Mitchell Starc has been their most successful operator with nine wickets in four matches. Kuldeep Yadav has eight in as many matches; Vipraj Nigam has also picked up five in four. The only concern can be skipper Axar Patel’s bowling. In the four matches, he has 0 wickets till now, where he has given 118 runs in 72 deliveries, at an economy rate of 9.83.
DC Predicted XI vs MI: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel, KL Rahul (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (c), Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar.
