IPL 2020: Squad analysis of Delhi Capitals
The thirteenth edition of Indian Premier League will be up and running on September 19 in Abu Dhabi. Among the eight franchises, Delhi Capitals will begin their campaign against KXIP, a day later. Notably, they are the only side who are yet to even reach an IPL final. Let us analyze where the revamped set-up of DC stands ahead of the season.
Players bought by DC: Jason Roy (Rs. 1.50 crore), Chris Woakes (Rs. 1.50 crore), Marcus Stoinis (Rs. 4 crore), Alex Carey (Rs. 2.4 crore), Shimron Hetmyer (Rs. 7.75 crore), Tushar Deshpande (Rs. 20 lakh), Mohit Sharma (Rs. 50 lakh), Lalit Yadav (Rs. 20 lakh). Recently, Daniel Sams and Anrich Nortje replaced Jason Roy and Chris Woakes respectively as the duo opted out of IPL.
Unlike the previous seasons, the Delhi Capitals have plenty of depth in the batting line-up this time. Even before the auction, they already had a number of experienced batsmen like Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant and the skipper Shreyas Iyer. The inclusion of Ajinkya Rahane gives them a further boost. Meanwhile, the overseas options include Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, and Alex Carey.
With the departure of Chris Woakes, the all-rounders' section looks slightly tepid. In his absence, spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel will likely take the centre stage. Besides, Keemo Paul could be another option, who could deliver at crucial stages in the match. Although Daniel Sams also carries the propensity to produce late flourishes, the particular segment still appears to be bleak on paper.
Kagiso Rabada, who presently has the best IPL average (17.93), leads the pace bowling of DC. While the experienced Ishant Sharma and Mohit Sharma will complement the former, foreign bowlers Paul, Nortje and Sams could also be pivotal. Meanwhile, the spin department is led by two experienced spinners Amit Mishra and Ravichandran Ashwin. Moreover, Nepal's wrist-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane might be the x-factor.
Here's a look at the complete squad of DC: Shreyas Iyer (C), Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Daniel Sams, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Mohit Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, R Ashwin, Marcus Stoinis, Anrich Nortje, Rishabh Pant, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande.
Last year, the Delhi Capitals secured their first playoffs berth since the 2012 season. Will they clinch a maiden IPL title this time? They certainly can! Considering their terrific team combination, Delhi Capitals are surely the front-runners in the title race. Probable XI for the first match: Dhawan, Shaw, Rahane, Iyer (C), Pant (WK), Stoinis, Paul, Ashwin, Mishra, Ishant, Rabada.
