Jake Fraser-McGurk’s turbulent start to his IPL 2025 journey continued as the young Australian opener was dismissed for a five-ball duck in Delhi Capitals’ clash against Chennai Super Kings. Opening the innings, Fraser-McGurk failed to trouble the scorers, falling prey to Khaleel Ahmed’s tight opening spell. The highly anticipated recruit, who arrived at DC amidst great fanfare and a hefty price tag, has now raised serious concerns about his spot in the playing XI.

Fraser-McGurk’s auction saga was one of the most talked-about moments in the build-up to the season. A fierce bidding war erupted between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals before Lucknow Super Giants also joined in. Punjab eventually outbid DC with a INR 5.5 crore offer, but the Capitals weren’t done yet. Exercising their Right to Match (RTM), they brought the explosive Aussie back into their camp for a whopping INR 9 crore.

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However, the returns so far have been underwhelming. After scoring just one run against LSG, Fraser-McGurk crawled to 38 off 32 balls against SRH in a knock that lacked fluency. His latest failure against CSK has only intensified the pressure, especially with talented benchwarmers eager for an opportunity.

5 BALL DUCK FOR JAKE FRASER-MCGURK.

– Khaleel Ahmed gets the opening wicket! pic.twitter.com/WPdTNeHWeS

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 5, 2025

Despite the early blow, Delhi Capitals found some stability thanks to a composed partnership between KL Rahul and Abhishek Porel. At the time of writing, DC were 47/1, with Rahul on 17* and Porel batting confidently on 30*.

At the toss, DC skipper Axar Patel revealed that they’re sticking with a balanced combination featuring three pacers and a couple of spinners. He added that the dressing room atmosphere remains positive, with experienced players stepping up to guide the youngsters. Faf du Plessis missed out due to injury, paving the way for Sameer Rizvi’s inclusion.

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CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad admitted he would’ve liked to bat first too, believing the pitch might stay consistent. While he noted improvements in the previous outing, he stressed on better fielding, calling it a controllable factor. Ruturaj also confirmed his elbow is in good shape, and CSK made two changes: Devon Conway and Mukesh Choudhary came in for Craig Overton and Rahul Tripathi, respectively.