IPL 2022: 5 Delhi Capitals players who will be crucial for the franchise next season

It's both easy and difficult to explain why Delhi Capitals (DC) endured an underwhelming IPL 2022 campaign. They missed a few key players at the start, had a major COVID-19 scare, lost players to injuries and illness over various time periods, and made some horror on-field calls - all of which made sure they had no momentum whatsoever.

It was almost a stop-and-start season managed by a young captain who tangibly looked slightly overcooked to keep it all together. But it's done and dusted now. Failing to qualify despite having a great mix of youth and experience and some of the most in-form players will certainly hurt them, but they can only learn from it.

In this piece, we'll look at five Delhi Capitals players, apart from Rishabh Pant of course, who can inspire them to stand true to their potential in IPL 2023 and compete not only for the fourth spot but also their first-ever title.

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#1 David Warner

David Warner joined the Delhi Capitals camp late but still ended up as their top run-scorer. The Australian opener is a pillar for any team he plays for and that showed in IPL 2022 as well. His 432 runs at a strike rate of 150.52 and six match-winning 40-plus scores comprise everything that the team would have expected from his bat.

But for Delhi Capitals to go over the line, they'll need this and a bit more in IPL 2023. Warner will have to contribute more as a leader on the field. Skipper Pant making two novice DRS calls in a crunch game against the Mumbai Indians (MI) under the Australian's watch should be a matter of concern. Not to mention Pant's post-match statement where he said he wanted someone to convince him to take the Tim David review.

Warner has invaluable experience of winning multiple World Cups, the IPL as a captain, and of leading an underrated SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) side to their greatest heights. He needs to bring that out on the field more often to help Pant as well.

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#2 Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw's season summed up Delhi Capitals' performance - it was decent but not quite there when it mattered. There was a consensus before IPL 2022 that Shaw would come as a more mature but equally dashing player. An average of 28.30 and just two fifties from 10 games should now shift those hopes to 2023.

His pre-season fitness issues didn't seem to affect his game much, but Typhoid ruled him out of four games and had a big impact. He's still 22 but a player of massive importance. His team tried as many as three replacements for him - Mandeep Singh, KS Bharat, and Sarfaraz Khan - but neither worked.

For Delhi Capitals to achieve their goals, Shaw has to come good at the top of the order, be the aggression to Warner's calm, make the best use of the powerplay and consistently provide good platforms for the middle order to exploit.

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#3 Anrich Nortje

South African quick Anrich Nortje was supposed to be the leader of the Delhi Capitals' bowling attack. But in his first game of the season - the team's third overall - he put in one of his worst IPL performances. Nortje conceded 35 runs in 2.2 overs, bowled two nasty beamers, and was barred by the umpire from bowling again in the match.

He didn't get to bowl for the next seven games, signaling that the team management had rushed him out of his injury. That left the franchise as one of the few without a single 140 kmph, hit-the-deck, seam-movement-specialist pacer. This hurt them badly and cost them wins on the bouncy tracks in the first half.

Nortje still went for runs after his return but got nine wickets in five games. Delhi Capitals will need a complete season from him in 2023 for his pairing with Khaleel Ahmed in the powerplay, Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav in the middle overs, and Thakur and Khaleel again the death will be sights to behold.

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#4 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav scripted the perfect comeback in IPL 2022, picking up 21 wickets from 14 games after being on the cusp of losing his place in all three formats for India. With an average of 19.95 and being the go-to man for Pant whenever he needed to dismiss the opposition's 'big-fishes', he couldn't have done more than that.

When Delhi Capitals' management sit down to check where they went wrong and which players could've done better, Kuldeep's name would be the last on the list. He might have to reinvent himself further if the IPL teams start to try and play out his over, but he'll be equally pivotal to the team's hopes of qualifying next season.

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#5 Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur had a season of two halves for the Delhi Capitals. He averaged 64 with the ball after the first eight games, which he brought down to 31.53 by the time the season ended. He conceded runs at an economy rate of over 10 in the first four matches but crossed that mark only once in the next 10 games.

He turned matches on its heads whenever he did well and almost looked lost in the chaos whenever he failed - the team will certainly expect more consistency from him next season. With the bat too, the Delhi Capitals entrusted him with more responsibility than any other season but he failed to make a mark.

In a team not known for his lower-order hitting, Thakur will have to contribute more with the bat when he's called upon to provide a late flourish. Like he does for the national team, Shardul acts as the glue for the team at Delhi Capitals - he is a source of inspiration when they are lagging behind with the bat or ball.

Pant and Co. will hope that his inspiring performances will start earlier, will be more frequent and will be matched by a more consistently low economy rate next season. If that happens, the Delhi Capitals will be able to build around him and do what the all-rounder's former team, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), did in IPL 2021.