A Story of the Strugglers

When Delhi Daredevils made it to the semi-finals of the inaugural season of IPL; no one would have thought back then that after 11 years of IPL, they will turn out to be the most deplorable side in the history of the cash-rich league.

After being one of the strongest sides for the first three years, they have had very little success coming their way. The staggering fact is that Delhi Daredevils have had the likes of David Warner, AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel in the past.

Let’s have a look at their journey till now:-

2008-2010

Delhi Daredevils played their first ever match against Rajasthan Royals in the year 2008. Their domination made their fans believe in them. They did not disappoint either, finishing fourth that season with winning 50% of their total matches.

The season 2 of IPL, saw Delhi Daredevils emerging as one of the superpowers in IPL. Under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir and having players like Virendra Sehwag and AB de Villiers on the team, they ended as the table toppers at the end of the league stage.

Daredevils also consisted of uncapped youngsters like Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell, who went on to become fire powers in the T20 circuit. The semi-finals, though, did not go in their favour. Adam Gilchrist sabotaged and ran through Delhi Daredevil’s bowlers. Scoring 85 runs off 35 deliveries was enough to demolish the presence of Delhi Daredevils in the match.

The playoff system was not there to save Delhi Daredevils as it was not introduced back then. The disappointing semi-finals meant that Delhi could not play the finals. However, they did qualify for the now discontinued Champions League T20.

IPL came back to India in the year 2010 and Delhi Daredevils fared in the same fashion as they did in the first one. This time though, they did not make it to the semi-finals after losing a must-win match against Deccan Chargers and having a NRR which was not better than Royal Challengers Bangalore.

2011-2013

Two new teams introduced themselves to IPL in the year 2011. Along with the new teams, IPL was also introduced to a performance lacking Delhi Daredevils. In the year 2011, Delhi decided to let go of Gautam Gambhir and named Virender Sehwag as the captain. One can say that the decision backfired at that time as DD finished last at the end of the league stage. It was a season to forget for Delhi Daredevils as they won only four out of their 16 games.

Delhi Daredevils made a strong comeback in the next season. With Sehwag leading the batting line-up and Morne Morkel taking care of the bowling department, Daredevils won 11 out of their 16 matches and finished the league stage at the first position. Ending up as the table toppers, many were expecting them to lift the trophy. But again, they could not hold their nerves as they got eliminated after losing two consecutive encounters to Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. Nevertheless, Morne Morkel acquired the purple cap for taking the most number of wickets in that season.

In the 2013 season, they decided to appoint Mahela Jayawardene as their captain. Like the 2011 season, their decision of switching the captains again did not yield a positive result as they became the first team to occupy the last position twice in the history of IPL.

2014-Present

Ahead of the 2014 auctions, Delhi announced that they have taken a decision of not retaining any player. The auctions saw an exit of star players like Warner, Sehwag and Morkel from the franchise. The move backfired again as Daredevils ended last for the second time in succession and third time overall.

Since then, Delhi Daredevils have been heavily criticized for their poor performances. Having made the most expensive purchase in the auctions i.e. Yuvraj Singh to appointing Rahul Dravid as the batting mentor, Daredevils have done it all. But, one can just say that something has kept them away from glory. In IPL 2018, they got their most successful captain Gautam Gambhir back, but even he put up a white flag after a string of losses.

Let’s have a look at the causes of their failure:

1. Captains haven’t been given sufficient time to work out their plans. Continuous switching has led to a lack of momentum and rhythm.

2. When it comes to cricket, motivation and cheering from the fans play a big role. Delhi Daredevils have the weakest fan base. It is also seen that even in their own city, they are not the fan’s favourites.

3. Not persisting with the players is something that they have been doing for a long time now. They spent Rs 16 crore to get Yuvraj Singh and after a not-so-great year, released him immediately. Their player retention policy is something that can be criticized.

4. No matter how hard you work, you need a little bit of luck going your way. In Daredevils' case, you can just say that they have been unlucky for all these years.