In the 40th match of the IPL 2025 season, the Delhi Capitals (DC) are playing against the Lucknow SuperGiants (LSG) at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. DC's captain, Axar Patel, won the toss and decided to bowl first. Along with this announcement, he also announced a change in the playing 11; Dushmantha Chameera has replaced Mohit Sharma. On the contrary, LSG decided to stay with the same winning team that won their last match, keeping to a similar lineup.

The change to bring Chameera into the playing XI may have raised some eyebrows in the first place, but this was clearly a tactical choice made by the DC management. It appears that after assessing the conditions of the game, the type of pitch, and analyses of the opposition, Chameera's entry into the playing XI makes sense.

Why Dushmantha Chameera Was Picked Over Mohit Sharma

The main reason for this change is the pitch at the Ekana Stadium. The pitch we have seen has supported fast bowlers throughout the season. The pitch has a lot of bounce and pace, and fast bowlers who can bowl fast have had some success. We could see Chameera's pace and bounce make this pitch a better fit for the playing XI and give some more firepower to DC's bowling lineup.

Also Read: IPL 2025: SRH vs MI Match 41 - A Head to Head breakdown

Another significant element was, in addition to Chameera's fine form, his strong record against LSG opener Nicholas Pooran. Chameera has dismissed Pooran three times in four innings in previous IPL encounters. Pooran has always struggled against fast bowlers bowling 140 km/h+ pretty comfortably, which Chameera most certainly does. With Delhi's profile against Pooran, they had an upper hand facilitating Chameera's addition. Moreover, Chameera has played at the Ekana Stadium, where he played for LSG in the 2022 season. Having played at home previously, Chameera will have a good sense of the pitch conditions and the environment in which he will be needing to execute his bowling plans.

Altogether, it was a logical and well-thought-out decision by Axar Patel and the Delhi Capitals to bring Chameera in for this match to give themselves the best chance to counter LSG's superb batting depth.