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The Indian Premier League has had many memorable matches and a total of 12 teams have participated in the league in its long history. Yet, in its 11 seasons, there have been only 5 different winners and the rest have either come close only to lose the final or have only made the playoffs. The Delhi Daredevils have been the only team which has played all 11 seasons but has never made the finals.
Taking this into consideration, the franchise owners opted to start afresh and rechristened the team to 'Delhi Capitals'. They also shelled out money at the auction and made some good buys worth the money they paid for them. They have a really strong team which can actually pose a threat and maybe they can achieve what they couldn't all this time.
Let's take a look at the best playing XI they can have if they want to achieve their objectives.
Openers - Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan
The biggest strength for the Delhi Capitals will be their star top order which is filled with Indians. The players who will lead the charge will be rising star Prithvi Shaw who they retained and Shikhar Dhawan who was traded by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in exchange for Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma and Shahbaz Nadeem.
A good opening pair is something which every franchise will want and to have a quality opening pair of Indian batsmen is quite rare.
Shaw showed his class and his ability to score quick runs last season and his return from injury will mean a lot to the team.
Shikhar Dhawan is probably the best Indian opener in the tournament apart from Rohit Sharma and he brings much needed firepower and experience to the Delhi lineup.
His IPL stats are brilliant and the rebooted Delhi Capitals will need these two to come out with all guns blazing.
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Middle Order - Colin Ingram, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant (w)
Colin Ingram was the Delhi Capitals' most expensive signing at the auction. The T20 veteran was bought for INR 6.4 Crore as the IPL teams finally realized his value after repeated snubs in previous auctions. He has an impeccably perfect T20 record and prefers batting at No. 3 and Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant can certainly bat one position lower to accommodate Ingram.
Colin Munro could be another good overseas option but his record in India isn't too good and he was poor last season. Though he's a top T20 player in other places, the Capitals will be sure to play someone who they have spent a lot of money on when compared to Munro.
Shreyas Iyer really flourished after Gautam Gambhir's relegation to the dressing room. Whether being handed the captaincy or taking responsibility was the difference, Iyer was in full flow towards the end of last season and will look to continue from where he left off.
Rishabh Pant was the best player for the Delhi side last season as he top scored with 684 runs in 14 matches with a great average of 52.61 and a blistering strike rate of 173.60. He was the 2nd highest run scorer in the tournament and scored the most boundaries in the tournament. He was good behind the stumps and will look to carry forward his destructive edge this year too. He completes the powerful batting quintet of the Delhi Capitals.
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All Rounders - Hanuma Vihari, Chris Morris and Axar Patel
Hanuma Vihari was bought by the Delhi Capitals for INR 2 Crore at the auction and this could be a very good buy for the team. Vihari impressed playing while for the Test team and though he's not a big striker of the ball, he has the technique and guile required to be a good no.6 batsman even in T20 cricket. He's very handy with the ball and can pick up a few surprise scalps. He provides much needed stability to the batting order.
Chris Morris has been the backbone of this team for a while now and is an indispensable asset to the side. Primarily functioning as a seam bowling option, Morris is also perfectly capable of striking the ball far into the stands, and has finished several innings for the Delhi side with great aplomb.
Axar Patel is one of the league's best Indian all rounders and the demand for one has never been this high. Axar was snapped up by the Capitals for a big sum of INR 5 Crore and he will have to do justice to that price tag.
He is a handy bat who can whack the ball hard as well as find the gaps. His expertise though lies with the ball, and he has the ability to choke the batsman with his tight lines bowling left-arm orthodox spin. Axar can bowl both in the power play or in the middle overs and his arm ball and sliders are two deliveries which batsmen need to be wary off.
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Spinner - Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra is one of the most underrated and underappreciated players in IPL history. He has continued to be prolific in terms of performance. He picked up 12 wickets in 10 matches with a great economy of 7.13 in 2018 and he has been doing well in the domestic circuit. He will be of prime importance this season and is most likely to partner up with Axar Patel as spinners. If needed, the impressive Sandeep Lamichhane can be given an opportunity to play.
Fast Bowlers - Kagiso Rabada and Trent Boult
If there is one area where Delhi seem to be lacking, it's experienced or quality Indian pacers. Sure, they signed Ishant Sharma but let's be honest, the T20 value of Ishant Sharma declined long ago. And with two inexperienced pacers in Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel, they can do worse than playing their two best pacers, despite them being overseas players.
Kagiso Rabada has been a menace when he has bowled in Indian conditions. Trent Boult has always been a big asset to Delhi and if these two combine, Delhi could potentially possess the strongest pace attack in the league.
One reason why this might work is that Morris and Rabada have to leave midway through the tournament and once they leave, the other inexperienced bowlers can get their chance. The Delhi Capitals can therefore ensure that the potential of all their bowlers is harnessed to the greatest extent possible.
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