"The IPL touched a new low here" - Fans puzzled as DC include Shai Hope in playing XI for clash against PBKS in IPL 2024 

West Indies batter Shai Hope made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut as he surprisingly made it to the Delhi Capitals (DC) playing XI for their opening encounter against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur on Saturday.

The technically sound Hope is not generally known for his batting in the shortest format. He has played 100 T20 innings in his career, but only boasts an average of 26.08 with a below-par strike rate of 126.27.

Furthermore, even Hope's form does not bode well in his favor. He had a forgettable stint with the Lahore Qalandars in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the Khulna Tigers in the 2024 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). To make matters worse, he also scored only 20 runs in three matches on the tour of Australia, where he featured in the middle order.

Shai Hope comes across as an opening option as well as a candidate for No.3, with David Warner and Mitchell Marsh making up the rest of the top order in Prithvi Shaw's absence.

Fans were surprised to see DC go with Shai Hope when they had a perfect opportunity to unleash the exciting Jake Fraser-McGurk onto the IPL circuit. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:

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DC put into bat by PBKS in Mullanpur's inaugural contest

PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan won the toss in the first contest at the franchise's new home ground and opted to bowl first. The match also features the highly-anticipated return of Rishabh Pant, who has been out of action since December 2022.

"We would have batted first. The wicket looks a little on the slower side. Really emotional time for me. Just want to enjoy the moment. Not thinking much. I think not worried about last season. Really exciting times. We have been preparing well. Four overseas batters for us. Hope, Marsh, Warner, Stubbs," Pant said during the toss

Delhi Capitals (DC) (Playing XI): David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ricky Bhui, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Sumit Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, and Ishant Sharma.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan(c), Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, and Arshdeep Singh.