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The real great Indian festival - the IPL has gifted the entertainment-hungry cricket fans of India a sumptuous dose of hard-fought, intense and enthralling cricket for over a decade now. Delhi Capitals (previously Delhi Daredevils) has played its part in providing entertainment to its fans. With the likes of Virender Sehwag, David Warner and AB de Villiers in the initial few seasons and Rishabh Pant recently, Delhi fans have often been assured of a firework display in batting.
Unfortunately, the results have not been in Delhi's favour and it has never bagged a single IPL title. Its overall performance has rather been dismal. Lack of consistency and poor team selection have been the primary reasons for the same.
Delhi has always had a very strong squad on paper but has never been able to find that perfect winning combination. Now, with team name changed let us check if Delhi's squad for IPL 2019 has the potential to change the fortunes as well.
#1 Powerhouse of openers
Shikhar Dhawan
The ravishing limited-overs opener for India, Shikhar Dhawan was traded to Delhi Capitals (DC) during the transfer window in November last year. Dhawan has been one of the most consistent batsmen in IPL over the years. He is in sublime touch and the Delhi boy would surely strengthen the DC opening.
Colin Munro
The destructive New Zealand opener Colin Munro can hit sixes and fours with metronomic consistency. The world no. 2 in T20 batsmen rankings, Munro's ability to thrash the bowlers right from ball one will help DC get off to a flier. He had an underwhelming IPL last year with just over 60 runs in five matches.
Prithvi Shaw
The swashbuckling former U-19 captain for India, Prithvi Shaw is one of the most talked about talents in the country. The 19-year old pocket-sized powerhouse has a natural flair in his batting and has the ability score runs at a fair clip. He played a few good knocks for Delhi in the IPL 2018 but was not consistent. He would hope to improve on that this season.
#2 In-form players in the middle order
Shreyas Iyer
The captain of DC last season, 24-year old Shreyas Iyer is an awe-inspiring batsman and an astute leader. He too, like Shaw, showed glimpses of brilliance in IPL 2018 but was not consistent enough to help his side win more matches.
Hanuma Vihari
DC's best buy this auction was India's upcoming middle-order star Hanuma Vihari who is in the form of his life and has taken the domestic circuit by storm with a plethora of runs. He will provide that solidity in the middle-order which Delhi was so badly missing last year.
Rishabh Pant
The 'expert babysitter', Rishabh Pant's magnificent batting in IPL 2018 was a silver lining in Delhi's otherwise poor performance. The zealous southpaw amassed 684 runs in 14 matches at an astounding average of 52.61 and a strike rate of 173.60. He will continue to be the lynchpin of the DC side this year as well and will most likely bat at the no. 4 like he did last year.
#3 Strong all-rounders
Perhaps the most valued and sought after set of players in the shorter format is bowling or batting all-rounders and Delhi has plenty of them. Munro, Vihari, and Ingram are genuine batting all-rounders and can chip in with a few tight overs.
Chris Morris
The South African all-rounder Chris Morris is a superb athlete and gives it everything on the cricket field. His ability to bowl yorkers and bouncers at a good pace combined with his powerful batting makes him a prime asset for DC.
Axar Patel
A shrewd left-arm spinner and a handy batsman, Axar Patel is a great value addition to DC squad. His economical bowling and fearless batting can help Delhi a great deal.
Keemo Paul
The 21-year old West Indian Keemo Paul was bought by DC for ₹50 lakhs. The Guyanese cricketer is an exciting prospect that could set the IPL stage on fire with his rapid pace and hard-hitting abilities.
#4 The mysterious wrist-spin duo
It is the age of wrist spin. In all three formats of the game, wrist-spinners have become weapons of prime importance as they continue to trick batsmen and pick up wickets without conceding too many runs.
Amit Mishra
The wily old fox Amit Mishra can literally run through the opposition batting with his deceiving leg-spinners and googlies. Mishra has been a consistent performer in the IPL, winning matches for his side. This year too he would be a vital cog in DC's bowling lineup.
Sandeep Lamichhane
The first ever Nepali cricketer to participate in IPL, the 18-year old Sandeep Lamichhane is one of the most talked-about wrist-spinners for quite some time now. Last year he played just three matches but was impressive picking up five wickets at an economy rate of 6.83. Hopefully, Lamichhanne gets more opportunities this year to show his chicanery to the world.
#5 Fiery fast bowling options
Delhi has world-class bowlers in its squad who can send chills down the batsman's spine with their raw pace and ability to move the ball both ways.
Trent Boult
The star Kiwi pacer, Trent Boult has a lethal combination of pace and swing. He was the pick of the bowlers for Delhi last year, picking up 18 wickets in 14 matches. DC would expect him to continue the same way this year as well.
Kagiso Rabada
The young South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada is one of the most difficult bowlers to face in the world cricket at the moment and can wreak havoc in any batting unit. He had to pull out of IPL 2018 due to an injury.
Ishant Sharma
Addition of the vastly experienced Ishant Sharma who will be wanting to prove a point after being ignored the last season will be of great help to Delhi.
Nathu Singh
IPL over the years has offered several fairy-tales and Nathu Singh's story is exactly that. Coming from a humble background, hailing from Jaipur, Nathu has the built of a fast bowler and is lightening-quick. It would be interesting to see how he performs on the big stage.
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