Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra selected his playing combination for the Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of their IPL 2026 match against the Lucknow Super Giants. The match will take place at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday, April 1.
Chopra said that Prithvi Shaw should open the innings alongside captain KL Rahul. He picked Shaw over other options like Abishek Porel and Pathum Nissanka for the opening game. The Delhi-based franchise bought Prithvi Shaw during the IPL 2026 auction.
Aakash Chopra Predicts Delhi Capitals Lineup
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra shared his preferred batting order for Delhi Capitals. He outlined the top and middle order for the upcoming match.
"Delhi, the question for you is, who will open - Prithvi Shaw, Abishek Porel or Pathum Nissanka. My vote is for Prithvi Shaw. You should open with KL Rahul. Nitish Rana at No. 3, Tristan Stubbs at No. 4, Axar Patel at No. 5, David Miller at No. 6, and Ashutosh Sharma at No. 7," Chopra said.
Aakash Chopra also highlighted a concern for Delhi Capitals. He noted that the team must address their new-ball bowling issues, especially with star pacer Mitchell Starc currently unavailable.
"They don't have too many questions. The one big question for Delhi last year was who would open, which I hope they just get right this time to begin with, and who will bowl with the new ball and how. The new ball was a bit of a problem. Mitchell Starc hasn't come as of now, so that also comes to the fore a little bit," he added.
Aakash Chopra's Probable Delhi Capitals Playing 12 for IPL 2026 Clash vs Lucknow Super Giants:
KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, David Miller, Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi/Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Dushmantha Chameera, T Natarajan/Auqib Nabi