"He never gets the credit he deserves as an IPL legend"- Mohammed Kaif names DC's 'X' factor for IPL 2023
It's just a week left before the proceedings of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League commence. The season's opener will have the Chennai Super Kings facing the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, March 31.
After a high-voltage season in 2022, everyone's expectations are sky high. However, there are a few teams that have yet to win their first championship. The Delhi Capitals are one of the few teams that have been waiting for their first trophy since the inaugural season in 2008.
The closest they came was in 2020, when they played the final but lost to the Mumbai Indians. However, this season will not be easy for them as DC skipper Rishabh Pant is not part of the team after suffering a horrific car accident in December. Thus, the franchise has decided to pick David Warner as the captain of the team.
He will be assisted by Axar Patel as the vice captain. DC will kick off their season on April 1 against the Lucknow Super Giants at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.Thus, it will be a hard challenge for Warner to lead the team and end the trophy drought for the franchise.
Meanwhile, DC assistant coach Mohammed Kaif chose the "X" factor in the team while discussing the coming season. In an interaction on Star Sports, Kaif said that Warner will be the "X" factor for DC in the coming season. Notably, Warner led Sunrisers Hyderabad to their maiden IPL title in 2016.
Kaif said, "The team's strength for me, I'll always say is Warner. He is the kind of player that whenever he's in form, he can win matches single-handedly. Warner probably never gets the credit he deserves but he's proven to be a legendary batter in IPL history. So for me Warner is the X factor."
Warner made his IPL debut in 2009 for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). He played with them until 2013, but then, after nine seasons, he rejoined the franchise in 2022. He was the highest run scorer for the franchise in 2022, with 432 runs at an average and strike rate of 48 and 150.52. However, when asked about DC's weakness, Kaif indicated about Pant's replacement.