3 blunders by Delhi Capitals in IPL auction

Delhi Daredevils changed their name to Delhi Capitals recently, this name change is part of an effort to change the fortunes of the franchise. Barring first few seasons, Delhi has been an underperforming franchise. Over the years, they have chopped and changed their squad but to no avail, they kept on underperforming irrespective of the captains and players in the team.

In the recently concluded auction for 2019 edition of Indian Premier League, Delhi Capitals must have hoped to grab some smart buys, but looking at the players they have picked at the auction it seems that they have made some blunders while choosing the players. Let us take a look at three mistakes that Delhi Capitals made in the auction:

#1 Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma is a Test specialist nowadays

Picking a fast bowler who has failed to pick up a single wicket in his last eight IPL matches and who has bowled at an economy rate of 10.25 since picking up his last wicket in IPL, defies logic. Ishant Sharma is considered to be a Test specialist as he is not a part of India's limited-overs scheme of things.

It is difficult to fathom the thought process of Delhi Capitals behind selecting Ishant Sharma. A franchise who is struggling to make a mark since long, going for such a bowler can only be called a blunder.

#2 Hanuma Vihari

Vihari is not known for his brisk batting

Delhi Capitals have some exciting young Indian batsmen in their squad. Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant are three of the most bankable young players in India. During the last season, Delhi Capitals failed to win some close matches while chasing, which was a sign that they were missing an experienced batsman in the middle-order who can take them across the finishing line in close contests.

During the auction for 2019 IPL, it would have been prudent on their part to go for a middle-order batsman who has experience of playing in Indian conditions, instead, they went for another inexperienced player in Hanuma Vihari. Moreover, Vihari is a tight player who is not known for brisk batting. Adding Vihari to their squad seems to be another blunder on Delhi Capitals part.

#3 Axar Patel

Axar Patel, another player whose game is going down the hill since last few years, was picked up by Delhi Capitals. Axar had an ordinary last season for Kings XI Punjab, he played nine games and took just three wickets while scoring only 80 runs.

Also, he is not getting picked up for India's limited overs team anymore which is a sign of his lacklustre form since last few years.

A team which is looking to gain some lost ground, banking on such players cannot be called prudent by any stretch of the imagination.