Why is Marcus Stoinis not playing today’s IPL 2021 match vs Rajasthan Royals?

Marcus Stoinis not playing: Delhi Capitals have made a solitary change to their Playing XI despite winning their last match.

During the 36th match of the ongoing 14th season of the Indian Premier League between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has won the toss and chose to field.

“We will bowl first. It’s a day game, it becomes easier to bat second. We have all settled down and moved on to this game, it was a complete team effort by everyone. They [Delhi Capitals] have a balanced side, we are looking forward to an exciting game,” Samson told Star Sports at the toss.

Being asked about the changes made to their squad, Samson announced that they have tinkered a winning combination by swapping a couple of overseas players only to hand a debut to South Africa spinner Tabraiz Shamsi.

Weather report from Abu Dhabi: pic.twitter.com/tDb5Ce8R5j

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) September 25, 2021

“Evin Lewis and Chris Morris miss out; Tabraiz Shamsi and David Miller are in,” Samson said.

Why is Marcus Stoinis not playing vs Rajasthan Royals?

Much like his quintessential counterpart in Samson, Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant also wanted to field first but remained unaffected by being asked to bat first at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium.

“We were looking to bowl first as well, but it doesn’t matter. There will be a bit on the wicket in the day game. It’s good to be nearing a record, but we’re not looking at individual performances, not thinking too much about qualifying,” Pant told Star Sports at the toss.

Although just one change, Delhi will also not take the field with a winning XI as all-rounder Lalit Yadav has replaced Marcus Stoinis in the Playing XI. The development also means that DC will have only three overseas players in their Playing XI today.

It is worth mentioning that Stoinis had suffered a hamstring injury while bowling in their first match of this leg against Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22. Having bowled just seven deliveries, the 32-year old Australian player wasn’t needed to bat in the second innings.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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