Picking a combined playing 11 with impact sub ahead of DC vs LSG Match 4 of IPL 2025 ft. KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant
Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will face off in the fourth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season on Monday, March 24. The game will be played in Visakhapatnam, with the two teams kicking off their respective campaigns.
Last season, Delhi Capitals finished sixth on the table with 14 points, failing to make the playoffs due to an inferior net run rate. Similarly, Lucknow also managed to bag 14 points but finished seventh, behind DC, due to their low net run rate.
Both sides have a fresher squad this year with new names and possibly new combinations when they take the field. Neither team has even won the IPL trophy and will be keen to get their hands on the silverware this year. There are some big names from both teams to watch out for.
That said, let's pick a combined playing 11, including players from both teams as they gear up for their IPL 2025 encounter.
DC v LSG IPL 2025 combined playing 11 with impact sub
Openers - KL Rahul & Jake Fraser-McGurk
KL Rahul moved to the Delhi Capitals, who acquired him for ₹14 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Interestingly, he was released after the 2024 season by LSG and will now be against his former team. Rahul has been in good touch, as seen during the 2025 Champions Trophy, where he played key knocks in the semifinal and final.
Delhi's young and dynamic batter Jake Fraser-McGurk will open the batting alongside Rahul. He is known for his attacking intent during the powerplay. Last season, he scored 330 runs from nine matches at a whopping strike-rate of 234.04.
Middle Order - Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (WK), and David Miller
The explosive and hard-hitting West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran will walk in at No. 3. He scored 499 runs from 14 games for LSG last season at a strike-rate of 162.29. They will depend massively on him to deliver in this IPL season.
To bring some stability in the middle, Ayush Badoni makes it at No. 4. He has shown potential with the bat in the league, and has also scored at a decent strike-rate of over 135 in the last two seasons.
LSG skipper Rishabh Pant comes in next and will also don the gloves in this team. Pant is also known for his hard-hitting and can take down any bowling attack on his given day. He brings the firepower down the order.
South African left-handed batter David Miller comes next, adding more firepower to this batting order. Miller scored a quickfire unbeaten hundred in the semifinal of the 2025 Champions Trophy and is in form. He also brings vast experience with him, having played in the IPL and other T20 leagues as well.
All-rounders - Axar Patel (C) and Shardul Thakur
All-rounder Axar Patel was named as the new skipper of Delhi Capitals. He has been a key member of the Delhi side since the 2019 season. Axar has improved his all-round game significantly, as seen in his performances for India with both the bat and the ball. He will also lead this combined 11.
Along with Axar, Shardul Thakur is the other all-rounder in this team. Shardul was initially unsold during the IPL 2025 mega auction. However, LSG roped in him at the last moment as a replacement for the injured Mohsin Khan. Shardul has been in solid form, scoring over 500 runs and picking up 35 wickets for Mumbai in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season.
Bowlers - Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, & T Natarajan
Coming to the bowlers, wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav will lead the spin attack. He impressed during the 2025 Champions Trophy, where he bagged seven wickets from five games. In IPL 2024, he picked up 16 wickets from 11 games and has rediscovered himself after a tough period.
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc will lead the pace attack. Starc played a massive role in KKR's triumph last season. He grabbed 17 wickets from 14 games including a four-wicket haul in the all-important final. Delhi Capitals will expect a similar display from him this season.
T Natarajan will share the new ball alongside Starc. The left-arm pacer has been a consistent performer in the IPL. He bagged 19 wickets from 14 matches for SRH last year, playing a crucial role in their run to the final.
Impact sub - Ravi Bishnoi
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi makes it to the combined team as the impact sub, adding to the bowling as the third spinner. He will represent LSG this year and is a wicket-taking bowler.
From 66 IPL games in his career so far, he has bagged 63 wickets at an economy rate of 7.80 and average of 29.14.