IPL 2018: 3 players DD are missing from their 2017 squad

Delhi Daredevils have tried many things over the past decade, but every plan has failed badly. From not retaining AB de Villiers to letting go of David Warner, the DD management have made many mistakes in the past. In an attempt to make amends, they got back their local lad Gautam Gambhir, who won two titles for Kolkata Knight Riders.

However, that plan has not worked as well, as DD have won only one game out of the five they have played so far. As the normal equation suggests, a side needs to win at least eight games out of the fourteen they play to qualify for the qualifiers. Their retentions and use of the Right To Match (RTM) has been questionable as well. Retained overseas player Chris Morris has failed to perform thus far, and RTMed pacer Mohammed Shami is leaking away runs. In a scenario where DD can't afford to make any more mistakes, they will be looking back and missing these three players from their last year's squad.

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#3 Sam Billings (Chennai Super Kings)

Delhi Daredevils have got some blatant problems in batting. Their batting line-up has failed to perform as a unit, and they are paying the price for it. They lack stability at the top despite having a plethora of openers in their team. Gautam Gambhir has not done much after a good first match. Colin Munro has failed to capitalize on the opportunities he has received.

The only odd one out in this list is Englishman Jason Roy, who played a match-winning knock against Mumbai Indians. However, Roy too has failed in the last two games, and DD are perhaps missing his countryman Sam Billings. Billings has an average of over 20 this year, but it is his strike rate of nearly 180 that is more impressive. He played a match-winning knock of 56 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders. Billings was roped in by CSK for just his base price of Rs 1 crore, and Delhi might be ruing letting him go.

#2 Karun Nair (Kings XI Punjab)

Karun Nair during his DD years

Karun Nair is one of those numerous Indian talents who have shown glimpses of their abilities but had issues regarding consistency. Knowing this, DD decided to not have Nair in their 2018 plans. But they might regret their decision now, as Nair is playing exceptionally well for his new franchise Kings XI Punjab.

He has scored 139 runs so far in red and silver colours at a highly impressive average of 34.75. His strike rate of over 140 has been commendable. Alongside openers Chris Gayle and KL Rahul, Nair has been a vital cog in KXIP's batting line-up, and banking on these 3, Punjab are sitting comfortably at the top whereas DD have been handed the humiliating bottom position.

#1 Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals)

Sanju Samson - now a past chapter for DD

Delhi Daredevils decided to retain Shreyas Iyer ahead of wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson, and the latter is ensuring that he makes DD lament their mistake. Samson has scored 187 runs in this season, but it was his unprecedented knock of an unbeaten 92 runs from just 45 deliveries, which made him the hot topic of discussion and also enlisted his name among the future India probables.

Samson's exceptional knock was filled with a couple of boundaries and ten maximums. Though Iyer's average of 31.33 is impressive, it cannot be compared with Samson's average of 46.75. Talking about strike rate, Sanju is leading the way there as well. Hence, after analyzing what we have seen so far, it will be fair enough to say that DD boarded the wrong train.