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Ever since changing their name from 'Delhi Daredevils' to 'Delhi Capitals', the franchise has done well in the Indian Premier League (IPL), reaching the playoffs on both occasions.
Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, the Delhi Capitals (DC) finished third in the 2019 IPL season before going one step further the next year. However, in their first-ever IPL final, Delhi Capitals were stopped in their tracks by the mighty Mumbai Indians.
Three released players who could make an impact at Delhi Capitals
The Delhi Capitals have retained a number of star performers from last season, which includes opener Shikhar Dhawan, all-rounder Marcus Stoinis and the fast bowling duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. However, there are a few areas they would like to strengthen in the upcoming IPL auction live on Thursday.
Despite possessing a decent roster, here are three released players whom the Delhi Capitals could sign at the IPL 2021 auction to further bolster their squad:
#3 Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav is one of the premier Indian fast bowlers in the longest format of the game. However, he has not played much white-ball cricket for the Men in Blue of late. He also had a forgettable IPL 2020 season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
The 33-year-old played just two IPL games last year for the RCB, going wicketless and leaking runs at an appalling economy-rate of 11.85. He was subsequently released by the franchise.
Despite his recent struggles, Yadav still has loads of IPL experience. He is among the top ten wicket-takers in the history of the tournament, and could prove to be an ideal foil for the likes of Rabada and Nortje.
The Delhi Capitals have struggled to find an Indian pacer to consistently support their Proteas duo. The likes of Ishant Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Harshal Patel and Tushar Deshpande have all disappointed.
Nevertheless, Umesh Yadav could be a good fit at the Delhi Capitals, as he can swing the new ball, which would give skipper Iyer the option to hold back a few overs from Rabada and Nortje.
Considering his propensity to be expensive, it will be interesting to see whether the Delhi Capitals take the gamble of having the Vidarbha pacer in their ranks.
#2 Shivam Dube
Shivam Dube had made a reputation for himself as a hard-hitting all-rounder, courtesy his exploits in the Mumbai T20 League. He was subsequently snapped up by RCB in the IPL 2019 auction, and it seemed that they had finally found a solution to their finishing woes.
However, he did not have the greatest of stints with RCB. In 15 games over two seasons for the franchise, he scored just 169 runs at a modest average of 16.9 and picked up four wickets. Unsurprisingly, he was released by the Bengaluru-based franchise.
Nevertheless, Dube is a skilled finisher. Delhi Capitals might need one, as Stoinis is likely to open the batting with Dhawan. If Dube gets going, he could be a great asset to the Delhi Capitals team, and will also provide Iyer with another bowling option.
The young all-rounder might prove to be a bargain buy for the Delhi Capitals despite not quite setting the stage alight with his performances in the IPL.
#1 Glenn Maxwell
Like in the last auction, Glenn Maxwell is set to be one of the hottest properties this time around too. He was picked up by the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) last season for a whopping Rs 10.75 crores. However, he hardly lived up to his lofty price tag, as he endured one of his worst IPL campaigns.
In 13 games, Maxwell scored just 108 runs for Punjab, and incredibly failed to hit a single maximum. He became an expensive liability for the team since they couldn't afford the failure of one of their star foreign players.
The Punjab-based franchise simply had to let go of the Australian all-rounder. However, Maxwell was back to his best against India in the limited-overs leg Down Under.
In three ODIs, Maxwell scored 167 runs at a stupendous average of 83.5 and an incredible strike-rate of 194.18. He also scored a half-century in the T20I series, where he had a strike-rate of 150.
The 32-year-old continued his rich vein of form in the 2020-21 Big Bash League, scoring 379 runs in 14 games at a superb strike-rate of 143.56. His red-hot form could have come at just the right time, as the Delhi Capitals might snap him up.
Maxwell's presence will allow the likes of Iyer and Rishabh Pant to play with more freedom, and will also add meat to Delhi Capitals' explosive batting order. He is handy with the ball too, which could make him a perfect buy for the Delhi Capitals.
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