IPL 2018: 7 Players who can cause opening conundrum for Delhi Daredevils

Delhi Daredevils had a pretty good auction this year. Before the start of the auction, they retained Chris Morris, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer for a hefty price. Everyone thought that they committed a big mistake, as they lost a huge purse prior to the auction.

But they purchased the players smartly, they only bought one expensive player i.e. Maxwell for a price of Rs. 9 crores. They were a bit lucky too as they could retain Rabada for Rs. 4.2 crores and they stole Munro with Rs. 1.9 crores. The key point of their auction was that they purchased a lot of the players at their base price. So even after retaining 3 players and getting 25 players after the auction, they were left with Rs. 1.6 crore in their purse.

Delhi has a big problem that they often purchase similar kind of players. Last year, they had an obsession with wicket-keepers, this year they bought about seven players who could fit at the top of the order. They still don't have a proper player that could bat for them at number four. So, this would require a lot of adjustments in their batting order.

These seven players are going to create a lot of confusion in the camp. Here are the seven players that could open for Delhi:

---

#7 Prithvi Shaw

Shaw first grabbed everyone's eyes in November 2013 when he scored 546 in a Mumbai-based Harris Shield elite division match. Shaw is an opening batsman who is a fine stroke player. He played a pivotal role as a captain in leading India to the title 2018 ICC U19 World Cup. He scored 261 runs across 6 games at an average of 65 in that tournament.

Shaw probably won't get any chance in the initial matches of the IPL but DD cannot fully ignore him either.

#6 Manjot Kalra

Manjot Kalra became a household name when he scored a fantastic century in the final of the 2018 ICC U19 World Cup. He played a match-winning 101* against the Australia which led India to its fourth title. Kalra hit 8 fours and 3 sixes in the innings.

Manjot was consistently aggressive at the top of the order. He could be a good option for the DD but now as they have ample of openers they would probably be confused to give Kalra any chance in playing XI. They might be tempted to use him so that they could use an extra overseas bowler from Trent Boult and Sandeep Lamichhane to make the bowling attack more vicious.

---

#5 Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer was bought by Delhi Daredevil in 2015. In his debut season, he scored 439 runs in 14 innings which earned him the Emerging player award. Iyer opened for Daredevils in that season before he was injured and unavailable for the next season.

Last year, he played in middle order for the team. He was looking uncomfortable at the middle-order during the complete tournament. He is not a pinch hitter, he is a batsman with fine technique who knows how to build his innings. So, it would be a tough task for Delhi to give him a proper position in batting order. Shreyas Iyer probably won't get the opening slot but he should not bat lower than number 3 for the team because when it would be a high scoring chase he would just be an anchor for the team as he won't able to provide the required strike rate.

---

#4 Jason Roy

England v Sri Lanka - 4th ODI Royal London One-Day Series 2016

Jason Roy was purchased by DD at the base price. The main problem that DD is going to face with Roy would be his form. He was disastrous in his last ODI series against New Zealand. Roy is going through a rough patch in his form in recent times. He was not even able to utilize the chances that he got from Gujarat Lions in the IPL last year. It would be tough for him to get the opening slot. He could be a good second option for DD if the first choice players are not able to deliver at the top of the order.

He is an attacking striker of the ball and has played many destructive innings for his national side. So, he is a good addition to their squad despite his form.

#3 Colin Munro

Colin Munro was a steal for Delhi Daredevils for a price of Rs, 1.9 crores at the auction. The year 2017 was the best phase of Munro's career as he played many exciting knocks for his country. He is the only player to score three Twenty20 International centuries in the history of the game. He is in good form this season and has scored 396 runs in nine T20Is this year. But there is a big doubt about his ability to play spin in the Indian conditions. Even other New Zealand players except for Williamson have failed to have a good showing in the IPL.

So, this could be a cause of concern for Delhi. If Munro is able to adjust to the Indian conditions, he would surely play a pivotal role in taking the side ahead in the IPL.

---

#2 Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant was phenomenal in this year's Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. He scored a massive 411 runs in 10 innings at a scintillating strike rate of 195.71. In a match against Himachal, Pant scored a blitzkrieg 116* on just 38 balls which helped Delhi to chase down the target of 145 by 10 wickets and in just 11.3 overs.

Though here is the problem. Pant was played by Delhi Daredevils in middle order last season. His performance was uneven last year which made their middle order unstable. Pant is not exactly a finisher, he is an attacking batsman like Adam Gilchrist. So, it would be a waste of talent if DD again decide to play him in that order in this season.

---

#1 Gautam Gambhir

Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab - IPL T20

Gambhir wished to play for DD this season and his wishes were answered as he was bought by the Delhi-based in this year's auction. Gambhir will now play for DD this year after spending seven years in KKR. Gambhir has scored about 4000 runs in IPL and most of these runs had come at the top of the order. So, Gambhir as the captain of DD makes a solid case for himself to be the first choice for the opener for DD. Gambhir also has the ability to bat at no.3 for the team. As a captain, he might sacrifice his position like he did for Narine in KKR, so that the other inexperienced players in the squad could bat freely and provide stability in the order.