Delhi Capitals have signed Gulbadin Naib

Delhi Capitals has recruited Afghan cricketer Gulbadin Naib as a replacement for the injured Mitchell Marsh. Marsh, currently in Australia due to his injury, will miss the remaining matches of the season. Hence, the franchise has placed its trust in all-rounder Naib, who is called up to the IPL for the first time.

Naib was signed by Delhi for his base price of 50 lakh rupees. Previously, Marsh was sidelined from the IPL due to a hamstring injury. Initially, it was unclear how long he would be out. However, with the upcoming T20 World Cup, where Marsh is expected to captain Australia, the Australian board does not want to take any risks with him.

As a result, Delhi was certain that Marsh would not return to play in India. After coach Ricky Ponting announced this, the team focused on finding a substitute. Marsh had played in 4 matches for Delhi, batting in 3 of them, scoring a maximum of 23 runs for a total of 61 runs. With the ball, he took 1 wicket in 8 overs. This marks the second time that Delhi has been deprived of Marsh's services; he previously played only 9 matches for them in 2023.

Meanwhile, Naib has played 82 ODIs and 62 T20 matches for Afghanistan, including some as captain. He performed excellently in a series against India last January, hitting two half-centuries in Indore and Bengaluru.

Currently, after playing 9 matches, Delhi Capitals are sixth in the points table with 4 wins. With 5 more matches left in the group stage, the newly included Naib has the opportunity to play and prove his capabilities.