Lungi Ngidi Back in Action for Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals’ bowling coach, Munaf Patel, has confirmed that fast bowler Lungi Ngidi has successfully completed the mandatory concussion stand-down period and is now “100 percent fit” to return to action. This development comes ahead of a crucial match against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Ngidi sustained a head injury while fielding in the third over of DC’s game against Punjab Kings on April 25. He was immediately taken to BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital, Pusa Road, via a green corridor arranged by Delhi Police. Although scans showed no major concerns, ICC regulations require a seven-day stand-down period for players diagnosed with concussion. Despite the absence of an explicit mention in the IPL 2026 Playing Conditions, Ngidi had to observe this rest period after being discharged on the same evening.
Munaf Patel addressed the media during the pre-match press conference on Monday, stating, “All bowlers are fit and Lungi is 100 percent fit because he didn’t play two games because of the six-day criteria. But he’s a hundred percent fit now.” This confirms Ngidi’s readiness to take part in the upcoming match against CSK.
Starc’s Impact and Strategic Shifts
Mitchell Starc made a significant impact in his return to Delhi Capitals, taking the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the recent game against Punjab Kings. His inclusion has been a timely boost for the team as they aim for a playoff spot. Starc is expected to target key players like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson to set the tone early in the innings, while also posing a threat in the death overs.
Since his IPL comeback in 2025, Starc has taken 17 wickets in 11 innings at an economy of 10.2, including a best of 5-35. Against CSK, he has six wickets from seven games at an economy rate of 7.2. More importantly, DC’s results have improved significantly when Starc is performing well. He has 14 wickets in wins for them at nine runs per over, compared to just three scalps in losses at an economy rate of 12.5.
Munaf Patel emphasized the importance of having a wicket-taker in the powerplay, saying, “If a wicket-taker comes in powerplay, your whole plan changes. If a wicket-taker comes in the first six overs, the whole scenario changes. As you can see, scores of 230 and 240 are being chased down because one is unable to pick wickets in power-play. But when your main bowler returns and gets you two wickets in powerplay, it makes a lot of difference.”
Team Strategy and Player Selection
Munaf also admitted that the poor performance of Indian pacers Mukesh Kumar and Auqib Nabi forced the team to rely more heavily on overseas players in their bowling attack. “Both of our Indian bowlers, Auqib and Mukesh, are new ball bowlers. So, our plan was that we will use both of them because if you use Indian bowlers, you can add foreign players batting. So, that was the plan. But if you don’t succeed in the plan, you have to go to plan B. So, we didn’t succeed in the plan that we used Indian bowlers and somehow we made a mistake in that.”
This strategic shift led to David Miller missing out on the clash against Rajasthan Royals, while Pathum Nissanka returned due to an injury to young opener Sahil Parakh. “It is difficult to fit in the eleven because there are only four overseas players. There is a reason for that – Sahil was injured and we wanted Pathum to get a chance. We wanted an additional bowler too. So, we played Pathum and we had to play two foreign fast bowlers and you can’t let Starc out and Lungi couldn’t play at that time. Our plan was that either Pathum or Miller will play. We didn’t have another opener because he was injured and so, we went with Pathum.”
Munaf added, “Openers are making 100-150 runs and you are asking us to play Prithvi Shaw. From where should make him play? If the opening partnership is going for 100-250 runs, who should we replace with? We had to change it because Sahil got injured and Pathum has now made 62 runs in last game. So, I don’t think we should change it and we won’t change it because Sahil is injured.”
