IPL 2020: Team Preview – Delhi Capitals
The Delhi franchise has blown hot and cold over the years in the IPL. Despite signing up many T20 superstars over the years, such as David Warner, Tillakaratne Dilshan, AB de Villiers, Virender Sehwag, Andre Russell etc., they are yet to feature in an IPL final. Last year the Capitals showed great promise and were one step away from participating in their maiden IPL final. This year, boasting a great mix of youth and experience, the Capitals have a great chance to etch their name on the IPL title for the first time.
Squad:
Strengths:
The Capitals are loaded with explosive T20 batsmen. In Prithvi Shaw, they have a youngster who treats every bowler the same way. He’ll be pairing up with Shikhar Dhawan, who has consistently given India fantastic starts in the last few years. Captain Shreyas Iyer is a ferocious batsman against spinners and he’ll be a handful on the UAE tracks. They also have two left-handers who are on their way to becoming superstars in T20 cricket – Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer. Apart from this strong batting core, Delhi also has Alex Carey and Marcus Stoinis in their ranks.
Another factor which greatly improves Capital’s chances this season is their spin strength. They already have the most successful spinner in the IPL in Amit Mishra. They have now added R Ashwin to the roster, who with his bamboozling variations will trouble every batsman. The Capitals also have Sandeep Lamichhane. The young leggie is a rising superstar from Nepal. Apart from this three, Delhi also has Axar Patel, who can chip in with his four overs of left-arm spin.
Weaknesses
In DC’s case, their strength is also their weakness. While their batting line-up is explosive, it is also liable to vanish in a matter of minutes. Although, Delhi can combat the situation by adding Ajinkya Rahane to the lineup. The experienced Indian batsman knows how to bat through an innings and will be a great asset if the UAE pitches live up to their reputation of being low and slow.
The Capitals will also have to look after their overseas strike bowler – Kagiso Rabada. The South African pacer was injured in the last season and also suffered an injury earlier this year. Last year, the Capitals had Trent Boult who could fill in for Rabada. However, this year they have no such luxury. In case Rabada goes down, they will have to rely on South African bowler Anrich Nortje or Australian pacer Daniel Sams.
Strongest Playing XI
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer*, Marcus Stoinis*, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada*.
The Capitals can add Rahane to the setup by omitting one of the batsmen or all-rounders. They can also look at including Lamichhane in case Amit Mishra is not having a productive season. They have plenty of Indian pace bowling options available in their reserves.
Team Fixtures
