A majority of Delhi Capitals’ Indian players returned to training at the Arun Jaitley Stadium for the first time since the IPL was suspended on May 8 due to tensions with Pakistan. However, uncertainty looms over the availability of key overseas players. Only Sri Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera was present at the training session on Thursday, with Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc’s participation being crucial for the team as they fight for a Playoffs spot.
Starc, who is currently part of Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship final against South Africa, is expected to provide clarity on his availability on Friday. Meanwhile, his Australian teammates Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Travis Head are set to rejoin their IPL franchises for the rest of the league stage.
South African players Tristan Stubbs and Faf du Plessis have also not joined the DC camp yet. Stubbs is unlikely to stay for the entire tournament if Capitals qualify for the Playoffs due to South Africa’s Test squad leaving for the UK on May 30. In light of these uncertainties, DC signed Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman as a replacement for Jake Fraser-McGurk, who opted not to return.
Mustafizur’s availability is also in question as he has not received a no-objection certificate from the Bangladesh Cricket Board for their upcoming T20I series against Pakistan. Notably, Kuldeep Yadav and a few other players were absent from the training session, while KL Rahul focused on his range-hitting during the practice.
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