The Delhi Daredevils were full of surprises this season, slaying their 'underdogs' tag and rising from their disastrous eighth season. Having veterans like Rahul Dravid to mentor and Zaheer Khan to lead, the men in blue and red were miraculously transformed and they also enjoyed being seated in the second spot for a brief period of time.
Though they lost their opening match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, they went on to win their next three matches, even against the comparatively stronger teams like Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. After winning five out of their first seven games, DD were full of confidence and became one of the favourites to win the title, but failed to make it the playoffs due to their sloppy performances in the second half of the tournament.
Languishing in the bottom four for three years, DD climbed the ladder and escaped being the wooden spooners of the tournament.
Drawback: The case of over-experimentation
The squad was excessively experimented with - there were 35 changes made in 14 games, and it was evident that they were trying to find the formula that worked. With Dravid being one of the support staff, it was not a surprise that a lot of youngsters were handed the cap. Evidently, one could observe similar patterns between the revamped DD and the defunct Rajasthan Royals team.
Among the youngsters, Karun Nair, Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant proved their mettle with occasional cameos, while Shreyas Iyer was unimpressive scoring three ducks in the six games he appeared in. Nair's blitzkrieg in their must-win game against Sunrisers Hyderabad put the team on the brink of making it to the top four, but Virat Kohli broke their bubble in the very next match and sent them out of the tournament.
Also read: Mumbai Indians season review in IPL 2016
The intention was to surprise the opponents, but the results went awry
The big international names in the team were JP Duminy, Quinton de Kock, Chris Morris and Carlos Brathwaite. The South African wicket-keeper showcased aggressive play in a few matches and also recorded the first century of this edition with his match-winning 108 against RCB, chasing 193.
Although the other two batsmen did not make a mark, Morris established his finesse as an all-rounder. The lanky pacer took 13 wickets at an economy of 7.00 and also made 195 runs in seven innings at an astounding strike rate of 178.89. He scored 82 off 32, his highest in the tournament so-far, though it was in a losing cause.
One of the other players who deserves to be commended is the skipper himself, not just for his bowling show, but also for the responsibility he showcased as a leader. The dependable leggie Amit Mishra also had a decent season, scalping 13 wickets in 14 matches, with his best being 4 for 11 against Kings XI Punjab on May 7.
DD faced a major setback with a number of players who were struggling either with their form or their inability to adjust with the team. Experienced ones like Brathwaite, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sam Billings and Imran Tahir were underutilised and were not given enough chances to prove themselves, as much as it was afforded to the uncapped players in the side.
On the other hand, a lot of youngsters like Pawan Negi, Mayank Agarwal and Shahbaz Nadeem failed to make use of the repeated opportunities and ended up not being picked back in the team. Negi, who turned into a millionaire overnight after he was purchased for a whopping Rs. 8.2 crores in the auctions this year, had a poor run in the tournament scoring just 57 runs in eight games and picking a solitary wicket.
Road ahead:
With experienced staff and a good squad, DD have a lot of chances to make it big next year. They have to work on the squad by experimenting less and assessing every player's strengths and weaknesses. They have fared better than many other teams in the tournament, but have failed to carry the same momentum they did in the first half. They also have to build the team chemistry, by deciding which all foreign players and uncapped players would be their mainstay.
Verdict:
They did rise like a phoenix but were responsible for their own downfall. Apart from the tinkering, the staggering performances against the stronger teams have earned them a score of 7 out of 10. By putting the mentoring to better use and balancing the team with effective match-winners, DD can become one of the contenders to lift the trophy next year.
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