IPL 2018: 5 reasons why Delhi Daredevils can lift the trophy

We are just under a week away from the start of the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League and teams have begun preparing for what could be considered a new start for many of them.

One of those sides that have looked to bring in a new group of players and build a strong core is the Delhi Daredevils, who according to many had the best auction along with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in January.

Here's a look at 5 reasons why the productive time at the auctions has increased their chances of winning a maiden IPL title in 2018:

An all-round setup

One of the first things that strikes anyone who looks at the Delhi Daredevils squad is that it has very few holes in it.

They have gone for a group of players capable of performing dual roles and have got players who suit the T20 game.

But most importantly, the Daredevils have got alternatives for most positions and hence the depth of this squad is perhaps the best among any side.

They can either open with Colin Munro or Jason Roy alongside Gautam Gambhir. In the middle order, they could either play with Chris Morris or Daniel Christian.

In Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer, they have solid middle-order Indian batting options. If something happens to the former, in Naman Ojha, they have a back-up.

In the bowling department, they could play Trent Boult or Kagiso Rabada or even both if a green top is served, perhaps at a place like the Eden Gardens.

Among the spin bowling options, they have Amit Mishra, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jayant Yadav, and Sandeep Lamicchane. Three out of the four could play at Chennai, if the pitch is dry.

So the Daredevils have got most of their bases covered and it now remains to be seen how they rotate and get the most feasible combination that would take them all the way.

In Ponting, they trust

Ricky Ponting's appointment as coach could be decisive for the side

The coaching system in the Delhi Daredevils has altered almost every year post the initial few seasons.

However, if they can have a good 2018 IPL season, then we could see Ricky Ponting remaining at the helm for a few years (That is assuming Australia don't poach him).

He has a good track record, having won the title as a coach with the Mumbai Indians in 2015, despite the team having had a dreadful beginning to the season that year.

What will help Ponting is that in Gambhir, he will have a captain who is as strong an individual as him, and it will be critical for the side to build a good rapport at the start.

Can the two get along from the start? Time will have an answer to that soon.

A bowling attack that could test the best

Will Rabada replicate his Test form in T20 cricket?

Opinion is divided among the intelligent cricketing fraternity as to what is more important for a T20 side - a powerful batting line-up or a competent bowling unit.

The buys the Delhi Daredevils have made in the auction in the bowling department tell you that this attack deserve a pitch that will help Gambhir get the best out of them.

In the fast bowling group, they have Trent Boult, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, Daniel Christian and Chris Morris.

As mentioned in one of the previous slides, on certain days with conditions assisting them, they could play both Rabada and Boult.

In Morris, they have three, if not four more solid overs. Vijay Shankar can give them 2 or 3 overs.

In the spin department, they have Mishra, Nadeem, Lamicchane and Yadav, so on a track with a bit of bite, all three could play.

If anything, Delhi will need to ensure they don't make the attack too skewed in favour of either the quicks or the spinners, but they have a lot of options to pick from, certainly.

A batting order to fear

Munro will have a big role to play at the top

The Delhi teams in the past few years have often depended on young players, the likes of Sanju Samson, Karun Nair and others to step up and rise to the occasion.

This Daredevils unit have players who the opposition would fear a lot more than previous units.

Colin Munro, Jason Roy, Glenn Maxwell, Chris Morris, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer - players who can almost win a match single-handedly.

The franchise could play any one of Munro or Roy at the top with Gambhir, use both Pant and Iyer with Maxwell in the middle and finish with Morris and Shankar.

It's a batting line-up which, if it fires on a good batting deck like Mumbai and Hyderabad, can either set a formidable score or chase one down.

How they form that line-up and make it click is what remains to be seen.

The return of the prodigal son

The manner in which Gambhir leads and contributes will have a big bearing on how far the Daredevils go

When a list is prepared for the best captains in the history of the IPL, Gautam Gambhir's name will feature in the Top 2 or 3.

There is no doubting the fact that when the Kolkata Knight Riders write a book on their journey in the League, Gambhir will have a page to himself for the contribution he made to the side.

Dare I say, the Daredevils would want something like that from him as well.

He is approaching the wrong side of the 30s but nobody but himself has the right to take the call as to how many more years he has in him to keep going.

Runs from his bat made a big difference for KKR and with Munro or Roy at the other end, his job could be made a lot easier as he may just have to maintain the tempo of the innings rather than set it.

If Gambhir can show the same kind of outstanding leadership qualities that took KKR to two titles, then rest assured, Daredevils will have a season to remember, one that could also see them lift their 1st title.