The Delhi Capitals have always been the side in the IPL which boasts of an equally capable, if not better, set of Indian players in comparision to their overseas match-winners and this season will be no different to them. Under the leadership of a new captain and the latest sensation in world cricket, Rishabh Pant, they will sought to lift the title for the first time ever in the tournament’s 13-year history. The franchise will play five of their matches in Kolkata, four in Ahmedabad, three in Mumbai and two in Chennai.

Strengths : –

The availability of three left-handers in their top six will pose a challenge to the opposition.

Kagiso Rabada, the purple cap winner in the last season along with Nortje combine to become a formidable bowling pair.

The Lower middle-order consisting of Pant (strong vs spin and pace), Stoinis (pace-hitter and Hetmyer (spin-hitter) is destructive as the three of them, together can attack both the types of bowlers.(Pace and spin) Billings will also be in contention for one of the slots who is considered to be a great player to finish off games.

Most of their back-ups are almost as good as the players in the XI. Eg. Smith at three, Mishra as the second spinner, Billings as a finisher, Umesh as a power play bowler.

A rare case where two finger spinners are good enough to play in the XI together.

Weaknesses : –

They will miss Iyer’s massive contributions as a great captain and a top-order batsman.

Their second-choice options with the overseas pace bowling category are not high quality.

Rahane batting at number three does not give you a lot of confidence.

Keys to Success : –

  1. A new captain who brings in his ideology to the side should prove to be successful.
  2. Rahane needs to play well at three because if he is replaced by Smith, DC will have to sacrifice an overseas bowler’s spot which is an unlikely scenario.
  3. The third pacer in Ishant or Umesh should not leak runs as opposition teams can only target them against a bowling attack that does not have a weak link.
  4. Prithvi Shaw to have a better IPL this year compared to the previous season.

Team Combination : –

  1. Shaw 2. Dhawan 3. Rahane 4. Pant 5. Stoinis 6. Hetmyer/Billings 7. Axar* 8. Ashwin 9. Rabada 10. Ishant 11.Nortje.

* Axar Patel may not be available for the first match where he can be replaced by an experienced Amit Mishra.

Nortje and Rabada are definitely not playing in the team’s first fixture. In the overseas category, the team’s replacements go as far as Woakes and Tom Curran. The Indian bowlers who can get a nod are Avesh Khan, Lukman Meriwala and Manimaran Siddharth.

Possible Finish : –

A sure-shot team in the top 4. DC has the potential to lift the trophy.

Thanks for reading the article and do share your thoughts @kanzzpp on twitter and @shortlegcricketblog on instagram!