Delhi Capitals rope in Gulbadin Naib as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh

After Mitchell Marsh was ruled out of the remainder of the IPL 2024 with a hamstring injury, Delhi Capitals have onboarded Afghanistan all-rounder Gulbadin Naib for the rest of the IPL 2024. 

After incurring the niggle, Marsh immediately flew to his hometown of Perth to assess his injury, but then Cricket Australia asked him to manage his rehab in Australia so as to ensure he stays fit and fresh for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies.

His replacement, Naib, has represented Afghanistan in 82 ODIs and 65 T20Is so far. A right-handed batter and a medium pacer, this will be Naib’s first stint in the IPL and he will join his fellow compatriots like Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, and Naveen-ul-Haq in IPL. 

This will also be the first time Naib will take part in a big-ticket T20 event outside of international cricket, having only played in Bangladesh Premier League and Desert T20 Challenge apart from Afghanistan’s very own Shpageeza Cricket League. 

Meanwhile, this has been a sad end to the IPL 2024 campaign for Marsh, who was picked up for INR 6.5 crores in the IPL 2022 auction. While he has only scored 440 runs for the franchise, with an average of 20.95 and a strike rate of 135.80, in the 2023 season, the all-rounder was Delhi’s best bowler, with 12 wickets, averaging 14.17. However, in IPL 2024, Marsh managed 61 runs in four games while picking just one wicket for 103 runs.