Jalaj Saxena: The Indian domestic stalwart will finally make his Indian Premier League debut against Delhi Capitals tonight.
Advertisement
During the 11th match of the ongoing 14th season of the Indian Premier League between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings in Mumbai, Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant has won the toss and elected to bowl.
“We will like to bowl first. In the second innings there is dew, so we need to make the use of the first 10 overs. I have been talking with the senior players and [head coach] Ricky Ponting,” Pant told Star Sports at the toss.
Coming on the back of a disappointing loss against Rajasthan Royals, Capitals have made a couple of changes to their Playing XI. In batsman Steven Smith and pacer Lukman Meriwala, DC have included a couple of debutants for Ajinkya Rahane and Tom Curran.
A modern legend makes his debut for DC and a rookie makes his IPL debut 👏
We couldn’t be happier for the both of you 💙#DCvPBKS #YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/8buVNRAc0R
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 18, 2021
Smith, who had made his IPL debut for Pune Warriors in 2012 and has since represented Rajasthan Royals (twice) and Rising Pune Supergiants, will be playing for his fourth IPL franchise. In 86 IPL innings, Smith’s 2,333 runs have come at an average and strike rate of 35.34 and 129.25 respectively.
Who is Jalaj Saxena?
Much like Delhi, Punjab Kings had also lost their previous match due to a shambolic performance against Chennai Super Kings. Being asked to bat first at the Wankhede Stadium, Punjab captain Lokesh Rahul talked about keeping wickets in hand and hoped for “making runs”.
“Hopefully we can learn from the last game. The first six overs are key, if we can bat normally. We need wickets in hand. You quickly reflect on those kind of innings. It happens with every team, so you need to forget about it. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make runs on this wicket. It’s a good pitch to bat on so we need to make the most out of it,” Rahul told Star Sports at the toss.
The only change for PBKS has come in the form of including veteran Kerala all-rounder Jalaj Saxena for spinner Tamil Nadu. In 59 T20s, Saxena has picked 59 wickets at an average of 18.20, an economy rate of 6.84 and a strike rate of 15.90. With the bat in hand, the 34-year old player has scored 661 runs in 50 innings comprising of a solitary half-century.
