IPL 2025, DC vs LSG Match Date, Time, Live Cricket Streaming, Playing 11 Prediction: The Indian Premier League has always been a stage for thrilling contests, but IPL 2025 brings an extra layer of drama. This season, former captains and star players find themselves pitted against their old teams, making for a fascinating start to their respective tournament campaigns. The opening game on Monday in Visakhapatnam will see KL Rahul, the former Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper, donning Delhi Capitals (DC) colors, while Rishabh Pant, once the face of DC, now leads LSG in a high-stakes encounter.
Freed from captaincy duties, Rahul begins his DC journey under the leadership of Axar Patel. Meanwhile, Pant, the IPL’s costliest auction signing for LSG, is set to lead his new side in front of a crowd that gave him a hero’s welcome last year upon his return from a career-threatening accident.
But this game is about more than just Rahul and Pant. It marks a battle between two franchises eager to redefine their identities. DC has undergone an overhaul in both squad and support staff, while LSG faces the challenge of a depleted Indian pace attack, with key bowlers injured or in rehabilitation. In contrast, DC boasts a strengthened bowling unit with Mitchell Starc, Mohit Sharma, T Natarajan and the retained trio of Mukesh Kumar, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav. This clash could well be a showdown between LSG’s firepower with the bat and DC’s reinforced bowling attack.
New loyalties, familiar faces
Rishabh Pant, who has played all of his IPL matches for DC since his debut in 2016, will now be leading the charge against them. On the other side, KL Rahul, who steered LSG to consecutive playoffs, will have the opportunity to make a statement with the bat. His explosive performances in India’s Champions Trophy campaign suggest he is ready to embrace a more aggressive approach.
Another key storyline involves Mitchell Marsh. After a standout IPL 2022 with DC, where he scored 251 runs and a productive 2023 season with 12 wickets, Marsh now switches allegiance to LSG. However, injuries have limited his role to being purely a batter.
Spotlight on Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur
Axar Patel takes on the role of a full-time IPL captain for the first time. As one of DC’s core retentions, his versatility in both batting and bowling has been instrumental in India’s T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy victories. While he has led Gujarat in domestic cricket, leading an IPL team presents a different challenge.
Meanwhile, Shardul Thakur’s journey takes an intriguing turn. After going unsold initially, his standout performances in domestic cricket earned him a last-minute IPL call-up from LSG. With his county stint at Sussex now off the table, IPL 2025 becomes a crucial platform for Thakur to stake his claim for future national selections.
Pitch report from Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam’s pitch has seen both extremes. Last year, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) posted a record 272-run total here, while in the Andhra Premier League, only one game crossed the 200-run mark. However, with the caliber of IPL players vastly different from domestic leagues, a high-scoring encounter remains likely. Historically, Visakhapatnam ranks third among Indian venues for run rate in T20s (9.2 per over), just behind Hyderabad (9.7) and Bengaluru (9.2), according to ESPN Cricinfo.
Weather report
While there’s a chance of brief daytime showers, the DC vs. LSG clash is unlikely to face major rain disruptions. The heightened humidity could work in favor of the fast bowlers, while temperatures are expected to stay comfortably in the high 20s throughout the game.
Predicted Playing XIs
DC Predicted XI: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abhishek Porel, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar T Natarajan
Impact Subs: Mohit Sharma, Sameer Rizvi Karun Nair
LSG predicted XI: Mitchell Marsh, Aryan Juyal, Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph
Impact Subs: Abdul Samad, Arshin Kulkarni, Prince Yadav
DC vs LSG livestreaming details
The match between Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants will start at 7.30 pm and the toss will take place at 7 pm. The game will be telecast on Star Sports Network and it will be live streamed on JioHotstar.