Ravi Shastri falters at toss as Faf du Plessis leads DC in place of Axar Patel, forgets to ask captain’s decision

In a rather unusual moment at the Wankhede Stadium ahead of Delhi Capitals’ do-or-die clash against Mumbai Indians, the toss proceedings turned awkward when broadcaster Ravi Shastri forgot to ask Faf du Plessis, Delhi’s stand-in captain, the most crucial question of all — whether his team wanted to bat or bowl.

With regular skipper Axar Patel ruled out due to fever, du Plessis stepped in to lead Delhi in a virtual knockout match that will determine the final playoff berth of IPL 2025. However, the sudden change in captaincy appeared to throw Shastri off script. Caught up in confirming Axar’s absence, Shastri jumped ahead in the routine.

Realising the miss, he quickly corrected himself and turned to du Plessis, who confirmed Delhi’s decision to bowl first. The moment sparked confusion — and mild amusement — with many viewers on social media pointing out the gaffe.

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The drama at the toss only added to the already intense build-up surrounding the match. With Sunrisers Hyderabad knocking Lucknow Super Giants out of the playoff race, the door opened for either DC or MI to grab the final spot. Hardik Pandya’s men, on 14 points, need just one more win to advance. DC, on 13, must win both remaining matches to qualify, including this one against MI and the next against table-toppers Punjab Kings.

The absence of Axar is a major blow for Delhi, both as a leader and all-rounder. Adding to their woes, Mitchell Starc has already opted out of rejoining the squad, leaving a gaping hole in their bowling attack.

While Mustafizur Rahman has stepped up commendably, the onus will now be on the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Khaleel Ahmed to restrict a power-packed MI batting lineup featuring the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma. The Capitals landed in Mumbai on the back of a crushing defeat at the hands of the Gujarat Titans, who registered a dominant 10-wicket win at DC’s home stadium. Despite posting a strong score of 199/3 in 20 overs, DC bowlers failed to stop the Titans’ opening order of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, who chased the target down with an over to spare.