IPL 2022: DC Season Review

For a variety of reasons, the Delhi Capitals would like to forget the season of 2022 as soon as possible. They were on the verge of winning their first IPL title in 2019, 2020, and 2021, but this time they had to fight until the very last game to go to the next round. A lackluster showing in the last game capped off a season riddled with many unanswered issues with crucial players finding their footing midway through the event, only to be sidelined by illness.

By the time Mitchell Marsh, Anrich Nortje, and Rovman Powell gained their stride, DC had already found themselves in a bind, unable to win consecutive games. The Covid-19 cases in their camp made their journey difficult resulting in quarantines, extra testing, a timetable modification, and other off-field mayhem.

What worked for them was Khaleel Ahmed and Kuldeep Yadav’s return to form, David Warner’s excellent form throughout season, and later Mitchell Marsh and Rovman Powell’s performances towards the final phase of the league stage. When opportunities arose, Chetan Sakariya and Mustafizur Rahman delivered strong individual performances.
Throughout the first part of the season, they were hampered by injuries, sickness, and the time it took for key players to regain their form. Additionally, the players available to play struggled to find form during this time, leaving DC with no clear answers. After starting with Mandeep Singh, they discovered Sarfraz Khan as a viable alternative in the final few league games for the middle-order. Later on, their injury woes impacted those in form as well, with Prithvi Shaw and Khaleel Ahmed missing out.

Kuldeep Yadav enjoyed a miraculous comeback into the IPL, with 21 wickets in 14 games and four player of the match honours. His bowling pace had been questioned, and he had also had a serious injury that had forced him to miss the previous season. Kuldeep earned his way up the ladder with talent advancements and thorough recovery, and he was an obvious standout in DC’s season.

Delhi Capitals will continue their hunt for their maiden IPL trophy when they comeback next season, and the management will try to fill in the gaps next year.