The much-anticipated fourth match of IPL 2025, featuring Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), is happening on March 24 in Visakhapatnam. Fans were eagerly waiting to see KL Rahul in action for the Delhi Capitals but there was a noticeable absence KL Rahul wasn’t included in the playing XI.

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Why Is KL Rahul Missing from DC's Lineup?

KL Rahul has indeed joined the Delhi Capitals squad for the 2025 season but he had to rush back home due to personal reasons. Rahul and his wife Athiya Shetty are expecting their first child, and the couple is preparing for the big day. As a result Rahul had to fly back to Mumbai on Sunday night, meaning he’s likely to miss a few matches, including this one against Lucknow Super Giants.

A source close to the family revealed that Rahul might return for Delhi Capitals' second match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 30. This absence comes as a surprise to fans especially since Rahul was one of the marquee signings for Delhi Capitals at the IPL 2025 auction where he was bought for a whopping Rs 14 crore from LSG.

Delhi Capitals New captain Axar Patel won the toss and chose to bowl first. He explained the reasoning behind his decision highlighting the impact of dew later in the game. Patel shared:

"We are going to bowl first. It's the dew factor, we don't want to take any risk, that's why we are bowling first. I have played with Pant before, he knows me and I know him. We know our tricks. I have played a lot for the Capitals, we have a well balanced side. There's dew sometimes, not always. I have been with DC since three years, I have been with the leadership group. I need to work accordingly. Need to think like a leader. Faf du Plessis, Stubbs, Starc and Fraser-McGurk are our four overseas"

Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel(w), Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar

Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant(w/c), David Miller, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi