IPL 2020 – Season review: Delhi Capitals – A force to reckon with
Delhi Capitals played valiantly all season and finally had to settle as the runners up in this year’s IPL. Delhi had an extremely strong team-comprising the perfect blend of experience and youth. Several players put their hands up at different points in time and led Delhi to victory. They played well as a team and were eventually just unlucky to come across a more superior team in the finals. Nevertheless, they have been making constant progress, and next year could perhaps be the year they bring the cup home. Let us analyze DC’s strengths and weaknesses this year and what lies ahead for them.
Positives
The biggest positive for Delhi this year were their foreign recruits, Anrich Nortje and Marcus Stoinis. Nortje, who wasn’t initially picked, came in as a replacement for Chris Woakes. He bowled with some real pace, even delivering the fastest ball ever bowled in the IPL. Nortje ended up picking 22 wickets and formed an irresistible partnership with his countryman Kagiso Rabada, the purple cap holder who finished with 30 wickets. The two bowled successfully at the death as well as in the powerplay and were one of the primary reasons Delhi was able to defend small totals.
From invoking fear into the opposition batsmen as well as our cameras in training, we can surely declare that @AnrichNortje02 ? SPEED ✨
Those ? 150+ kmph yorkers will always have a special place in our hearts ??#Dream11IPL #YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/g4NAAlaxV6
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) November 14, 2020
Marcus Stoinis was a revelation with bat and ball. He had always been rated highly as an all-rounder, and he showed this year why. He scored 352 runs at a SR of almost 150 and even picked 13 wickets. He single-handedly managed to win Delhi 2-3 games and was the perfect finisher DC had been looking for.
Another huge positive for DC was the overall growth of Shreyas Iyer. Iyer the batsman had his best season, scoring 519 runs. But it was Iyer the captain who was most impressive. He never shied away when staring in the face of adversity and managed to keep a check on his emotions. Iyer was made skipper midway in 2018 and since then has come a long way. He is a potential candidate to lead team India in a few years as well. Iyer could become one of the biggest players of the IPL with time.
At 25 years and 339 days, this man became the youngest captain in an #IPLFinal, and our very first one at that ??#SkipperShreyas, you have been an outstanding leader, a classy batsman, an ever-smiling presence and much, much more ?#Dream11IPL #YehHaiNayiDilli @ShreyasIyer15 pic.twitter.com/8qvBLFH03n
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) November 13, 2020
Struggles
While DC didn’t have any inherent weakness, the lack of form of Rishabh pant and tailing off of Prithvi Shaw really made them struggle. Pant’s poor form meant they weren’t getting the runs in the middle overs. Shaw had as many as 6 single-digit innings in his 7 most recent games. The sudden disappearance of his form led to Capitals having to shuffle their team around.
They also underutilized certain players. Shimron Hetmyer should have certainly been batted up the order. He is a proven match-winner and shouldn’t have been wasted at number 6. Similarly, someone like Harshal Patel, who had a dream season in the Ranji Trophy with the bat and ball, could have been used more often. They failed to tap into the potential of these certain individuals.
What next?
Nonetheless, Capitals have in 2 years become a team to reckon with. They have had a drastic turnaround from 2018 where they finished last. Delhi, on paper, is perhaps the strongest team, purely because of the match winners they possess. In the upcoming season, they would be better served if they manage to use their players better, and perhaps find a way to get another batsman in their squad, who is capable of batting in the lower middle order, if they intend to make Marcus Stoinis open. With the core they possess, DC is sure to be amongst the favourites for several upcoming seasons.
