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Faf du Plessis To Return; No Place For Jake Fraser-McGurk? DC's Strongest XI vs RCB

Debashis Sarangi

Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk [Source: AP]Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk [Source: AP]

On Thursday, Delhi Capitals (DC) will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in match 24 of the ongoing Indian Premier League season. The much-anticipated encounter will be played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. 

Led by Axar Patel, the Capitals have enjoyed stellar success in the IPL 2025, securing three successive wins in the competition. As they aim to extend their dream run, here's an in-depth analysis to find their probable XI for this match. 

DC Playing XI for last game vs CSK

Jake Fraser-McGurk, KL Rahul, Abhishek Porel, Axar Patel (C), Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar
Impact player: Ashutosh Sharma

Will Faf du Plessis Replace Out-of-form Fraser-McGurk?

Criterion
Faf
JFM
Innings23
Runs7939
Average39.5013
Strike Rate175.56100

(IPL 2025 stats of Faf and Fraser-McGurk)

Jake Fraser-McGurk has been terribly out of touch in the IPL 2025 season. The swashbuckling opener has failed to fire, managing only 39 runs at a horrible average of 13 and a strike rate of 100. 

In the last game against CSK, Fraser-McGurk recorded massive failure, being dismissed for a five-ball duck. So, his worrisome form has certainly raised question marks over his place in the playing XI. 

Meanwhile, veteran opener Faf du Plessis couldn't play the last game, as he missed out on selection due to a niggle. So, if he fully recovers before this game, DC should ideally bring Du Plessis back in place of Fraser-McGurk. 

How Can Fraser-McGurk's Exclusion Benefit DC?

When Du Plessis was fit, he used to open the innings with Fraser-McGurk, with KL Rahul batting at number four. 

However, with KL Rahul finding his rhythm as an opener, the Capitals have a golden opportunity to pair him with Faf while excluding Fraser-McGurk who has certainly not been at his best this season. 

The way KL Rahul batted as an opener in the last game against CSK, it will make little sense if DC push him back to number four once Faf gets fully fit. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the Capitals' lineup will likely remain the same, with Abhishek Porel, Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav playing crucial roles. 

DC's Probable Playing XI vs RCB

Faf du Plessis, KL Rahul, Abhishek Porel, Axar Patel (C), Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar
Impact player: Ashutosh Sharma