Delhi Capitals, formerly known as Delhi Daredevils, look like one of the most promising teams in the IPL for the long run. Ever since investing in youth after Rahul Dravid took charge in 2015, Delhi have finally started to get the results in their favour. The trophy cabinet might still be empty, but qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in seven years in 2019 is a sign of their potential.
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Delhi Capitals Squad:
Shreyas Iyer (C), Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Jason Roy, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Mohit Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, R Ashwin, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, Rishabh Pant, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande
Strengths
Delhi Capitals have one of the strongest Indian core in the tournament; so much so that they can play with an all-Indian lineup and still be a formidable unit. The perfect blend of youth and experience, which was the missing link in their squad, is now there with the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma added to the squad over the last couple of years.
The batting lineup looks as strong as ever, more importantly they now possess a lineup suited for their home track. The likes of Rahane, Dhawan and Iyer are all habituated to to bat well on wickets where ball does not come on to the bat very well.
For the slow and low pitch at the Arun Jaitley stadium, Delhi now have better and more experienced personnel to take advantage of that. Ashwin, Axar, Mishra and Lamichhane comprise of the spin department, which is probably the strongest in the competition and facing them at their home will be an uphill task for any opposition.
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Weakness:
With a formidable side on paper with no glaring weaknesses, Delhi Capitals enter the tournament as a confident unit. However, the only concern they have is the backup for the injury-prone Kagiso Rabada. Rabada’s impact can be gauged from the difference he made last year, after missing the 2018 season due to injury. Delhi have the likes of Chris Woakes, Keemo Paul, Ishant Sharma and Mohit Sharma to fill in the slot but the impact would not be the same. Delhi will like to therefore have a fully fit Rabada if they want to go the distance.
Despite having a formidable batting order, which will make someone like Jason Roy sit on the bench, Delhi will have the headache of managing the resources and fitting the right batsman in the right slot. If not handled well, the strong point might turn into their weakness, as it has happened with many teams in the past.
Key Players:
Kagiso Rabada – The South African pacer proved to be a game-changer for the Capitals last season with 25 wickets from 12 games. His injury just ahead of the playoffs proved to be costly for them. With the Delhi pitch staying slow and low for most parts of the season, Rabada brings in the x-factor with his express pace and deadly accurate yorkers. He is doubly lethal on relatively faster wickets like Wankhede or Eden Gardens. Not only with pace, Rabada has the ability to beat the batsmen with swing and bounce. One of the best fast bowlers in the world in all formats, Rabada will hold the key to Delhi’s fortunes in crunch games.
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Shreyas Iyer – Taking over the captaincy from Gambhir in 2018, Iyer has taken giant strides, both in terms of batting as well as leading the side. A more complete batsman now and a regular Indian international, Iyer at number four will hold the middle-order together. Sandwiched between power hitters like Prithvi Shaw, Shimron Hetmyer and Rishabh Pant in the batting order, Iyer’s ability to play according to the situation makes him a more valuable asset.
Ravichandran Ashwin – The former Kings XI Punjab skipper was traded in by Delhi Capitals during the transfer window. The move might prove to be a masterstroke, given the nature of their home pitch and Ashwin’s ability to take advantage of such pitches. Despite not being amongst wickets off late in the IPL, Ashwin continues to be economical even on pitches not assisting much turn. But he finally will be getting a pitch similar to Chepauk, which will be slow and assist spin, and that is why Ashwin is one of the bowlers to look forward to this season.
Probable Playing XI:
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rishabh Pant (wk), Alex Carey, Keemo Paul, Chris Woakes/ Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Sandeep Lamichhane/ Amit Mishra