Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani talked about what had transpired when the team’s South African pacer Lungi Ngidi had injured his head while trying to attempt a catch.
The incident had happened during Delhi’s game against Punjab Kings on April 25. Ngidi was unable to return to the field until DC’s match against CSK on May 5. In his comeback match, he produced respectable figures of 1/30 from his 4 overs, but couldn’t prevent his team from losing.
Key Points
- Delhi Capitals coach Hemang Badani revealed that Lungi Ngidi was not responding immediately after his scary head injury.
- Ngidi suffered the injury while attempting a catch during PBKS’ chase on April 25.
- The DC camp panicked after the South African pacer failed to respond to basic instructions.
- Lungi Ngidi was stretchered off the field before later being cleared after medical scans.
Lungi Ngidi’s injury
The incident had occurred in the third over of Punjab Kings’ chase. Ngidi had tried to take a catch off Priyansh Arya but misjudged his backpedal. Ngidi dropped the catch, but the more concerning thing was that he had hit his head on the turf.
Vipraj Nigam came in as a concussion substitute, but play had to be halted for approximately 10 minutes while Ngidi was being stretchered out to the hospital. Later, it was confirmed that the injury scare wasn’t as severe as initially thought.
“He wasn’t responding” – Hemang Badani on Lungi Ngidi’s condition
Speaking on Lungi Ngidi’s condition in the immediate aftermath of the incident, Badani said, “Ohh, tell me about it. We were all worried for him when it happened. We were all like, will he be okay? Because I was literally on the ground when that happened. I mean, within the next five odd minutes, he wasn’t responding to anything.”
“He wasn’t responding to simple things like, can you lift your hand? Can you lift your right hand, your left finger, your left thumb? There was no response. At that point, we were all panicking. But I thought Craig, our physio, did a fabulous job to make sure that he was in the ambulance quickly. Later in the evening, we got to figure out with the scans that he’s okay, and now he’s seen back on the park,” Badani told the host broadcaster.
Also Read: Hemang Badani breaks silence on Delhi pitch controversy, says BCCI controls DC’s home surfaces
Lungi Ngidi’s form in IPL 2026
Despite missing two matches, Lungi Ngidi is still the Delhi Capitals‘ second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2026. In 8 matches, he has 8 wickets, while only skipper Axar Patel has more for the franchise.
Ngidi’s 8 wickets have come at an average of 29.50 and an economy of 8.53. Among all bowlers who have bowled a minimum of 20 overs for DC this year, Ngidi is the second best in terms of both average and economy.
Delhi Capitals’ next match
DC will stay at home in Delhi for their next match in the tournament. They are currently seventh on the points table and will take on eighth-placed Kolkata Knight Riders on May 9.
KKR have won each of their last three matches, while DC have lost 4 of their last 5 games. Both teams are now firmly in do-or-die territory as they need to win all their matches from here if they want to qualify for the playoffs.
The Capitals will also be worried about the fact that they have lost four in a row at home now.
