IPL 2019: 5 released players Delhi Daredevils should target at the auction

The Delhi Daredevils are the only IPL franchise not to have made the summit-clash at least once in the eleven-year history of the lucrative league. Though their IPL journey started off well with two knockout stage finish in the first two editions, they failed to replicate their performance in the subsequent editions as they have finished at the bottom of the table on four occasions in eleven editions.

DD's last knockout (playoff) appearance was way back in the fifth edition (2012) when they finished third after losing to eventual runner-up, Chennai Super Kings in the qualifiers.

From veteran Virender Sehwag to young prodigy Prithvi Shaw, several phenomenal Indian cricketers, as well as International stars have donned the Delhi jersey over the years. In spite of possessing such talents in their ranks, the franchise from the national capital hasn't been able to produce the desired results.

With a brand new season of the Indian Premier League just four months away, all the eight franchises are trying their best to assemble strong and balanced squads to challenge for the IPL 2019 title.

Teams were given the November 15 deadline for the IPL trading window, after which they submitted the list of players they wish to retain and release ahead of the auctions to be held at Jaipur next month.

With the deadline ending yesterday (November 15), the Daredevils retained 14 players while releasing 10 of them including veteran Gautam Gambhir. Earlier, they traded three Indian players- Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem for Shikhar Dhawan.

By releasing several players from their last season's squad (that finished eighth among eight teams), they have made their intentions of forming a brand new side probably under a new, experienced skipper.

With INR 25.50 crore left in their purse ahead of the auctions, they will be allowed to add ten more players (7 Indians, 3 overseas) to their existing squad. Let us now look at the five released players they must target at the 2019 IPL auctions.

---

Saurabh Tiwary

Saurabh Tiwary

The Jharkhand batsman has been a part of all the eleven seasons of the IPL and represented four different franchises so far. Last season, Tiwary was bought by the Mumbai Indians for INR 80 lakhs but he did not get an opportunity to don the Blue jersey for the entire season. His contributions with the bat (419 runs) were crucial for Mumbai Indians' runner-up finish in the third edition back in 2010.

The southpaw, who has amassed 1276 runs in 81 IPL matches including seven half-centuries, registered two half-centuries in the Vijay Hazare Trophy recently (65 against Services and 54 against Tamil Nadu).

His side Jharkhand reached semi-finals where they lost to eventual runner-up, Delhi. With the Daredevils lacking an experienced middle-order batsman who can stabilize their innings, the experienced Tiwary might be a valuable addition.

Jaydev Unadkat

Jaydev Unadkat

Unadkat had a memorable stint with the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in the 2017 IPL, scalping 24 wickets at an economy of 7.02 and was a key member of the Steven Smith-led squad that fell short of just one run against the Mumbai Indians in the finals.

His performance in the 2017 edition of the tournament prompted mainly three franchises- Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab to go for him at last season's auctions. Eventually, the Saurashtra pacer was bought for a staggering INR 11.5 crore by Rajasthan Royals (base price INR 1.5 crore).

Unadkat took 11 wickets in 15 matches for the Royals at a higher economy of 9.65, which turned out to be a major setback for them. Nevertheless, an experienced player like Unadkat with an immense prowess with the ball- yorkers, cutters and slower-deliveries (67 IPL wickets in 62 matches including two five-wicket hauls) will be a huge advantage for Delhi whose domestic pace department comprises of young Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel.

Heinrich Klaasen

Heinrich Klaasen

It isn't easy to replace a player like Steve Smith as expectations will be sky high. The Proteas wicket-keeper batsman was drafted into the Rajasthan Royals side as a last minute replacement to star Aussie batsman and former skipper, Steven Smith.

It is fair to say that he could not fully unleash his abilities in the opportunities he got. Klaasen performed well with the bat during his debut T20 and ODI series against India earlier this year, which prompted the Royals to recruit him.

Though he scored just 57 runs in 4 IPL matches last season, he can add quick runs with his big-hitting abilities for Delhi. Though he failed against Australia in the three ODIs recently, he looked good against Zimbabwe at home last month.

With 1140 runs 55 T20s at a strike-rate of 144.12, Klaasen has established himself as a permanent fixture in the Proteas side as a batsman than as a wicket-keeper. The hard-hitting batsman might be the ideal candidate to add quick runs in the Delhi middle-order apart from bringing in a lot of experience.

Axar Patel

Axar Patel

Patel was released by the Kings XI Punjab ahead of the 2019 auctions. The Emerging player of the 2014 IPL was a regular fixture in Punjab for the past five seasons but was released owing to a poor outing in the eleventh edition where he managed just 80 runs and three wickets in nine games.

Having released an experienced spinner like Shahbaz Nadeem, Delhi must try to acquire the services of Patel to add much fire-power to their spin department.

Though Rahul Tewatia and Sandeep Lamichhane looked good in the opportunity they got, Delhi needs someone like Patel to aid 36-year-old leggie, Amit Mishra who played ten games in 2018.

With Jayant Yadav looking out of favour and Tewatia, Sandeep being inexperienced, Delhi must add Patel who can take the pressure off Mishra with his experience. Also, he will be a right replacement for Nadeem who has been phenomenal over the years.

The Gujarat star can be a useful batsman lower down the order having scored 686 runs apart from 61 IPL wickets.

Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Brathwaite

The Captain of the current T20 World champions, Brathwaite is an experienced T20 campaigner having played in the Caribbean Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League, Big Bash League and Pakistan Super League.

A hard-hitting batsman, he is capable of whacking the ball constantly over the fence and proved just that during the 2016 ICC World T20 finals at Eden Gardens. Having represented the Delhi Daredevils already in the IPL(2016 and 2017), it will be a return to the famous Feroz Shah Kotla for the Barbadian.

Though his previous stint with Delhi was a forgettable one (95 runs and eight wickets in ten matches across seasons nine and ten), the all-rounder will be hoping to make a mark in the upcoming edition of IPL.

After being bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 2 crore at the 2018 auctions, he played just 4 matches in a star-studded side comprising of plenty of proven all-rounders.

Having released proven all-rounders like Daniel Christian and Glenn Maxwell citing poor form, Delhi needs to recruit Brathwaite who has 1300 runs and 121 wickets in T20s.