Ranking DC's buys at IPL 2024 Auction 

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 edition, the Delhi Capitals (DC) carried out nine new squad signings in the IPL 2024 mini-auction held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on December 19.

DC had a middling IPL auction as they entered the auction with a budget of ₹28.95 crore but ended up spending only two-third of that. Almost ₹10 crore in the purse was left unused, which could have been used to improve their squad.

Delhi finished second last in IPL 2023 and would be desperate to turn things around in the upcoming edition. In an attempt to strengthen their side, DC bought the likes of Harry Brook, Jhye Richardson and Tristan Stubbs.

Interestingly, their most expensive buy at the auction was Kumar Kushagra, who was bought for ₹7.20 crore.

On that note, let's evaluate and rank all the nine buys made by the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the IPL 2024 auction.

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#1 Jhye Richardson and Swastik Chikara - 8.5/10

Jhye Richardson for the Perth Scorchers at BBL 2023 [Getty Images]

Although they will play as backups, Delhi's move to purchase Jhye Richardson and Swastik Chikara might be their best moves from the auction.

They battled hard with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to sign up Richardson for a fee of ₹5 crore from the base price of ₹1.50 crore. While Anrich Nortje will be higher in the pecking order, Richardson will offer variety in the pace department for DC.

His ability to swing the ball upfront and nail good yorkers at the death makes him a complete bowler.

Swastik Chikara, meanwhile, is a budding cricketer who recently grabbed eyeballs after his stellar campaign in the UP T20 League 2023. Playing nine matches for the Meerut Mavericks (MM), he made 494 runs at an average of 70.57 and at a strike rate of 173.33.

He is only 18 years old, and DC could nurture his talent in the upcoming editions. Chikara was picked up at just ₹20 lakh.

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#2 Harry Brook - 8.2/10

Harry Brook during West Indies vs England T20I [Getty Images]

A player who was sold for ₹13.25 crore at the IPL 2023 auction, Harry Brook was signed by Delhi for a fee of just ₹4 crore. His decrease in the salary might be because of Brook's underperforming IPL 2023 edition, where he only scored 190 runs in 11 matches.

Having said that, he is considered one of the most exciting young batters in the world and has a huge potential.

Ricky Ponting, DC's head coach, shared that the franchise wanted Brook and will make him play as a finisher. While Brook is a brilliant buy at ₹4 crore, slotting him as a finisher could go either way.

With ₹9.90 crore left unused by DC, they could've easily gone for a tailor-made finisher in the form of Shahrukh Khan, who went to the Gujarat Titans (GT) for ₹7.40 crore.

Brook, who usually bats in the middle overs, will hope for a better IPL 2024 with the bat.

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#3 Tristan Stubbs, Rasikh Salam, Sumit Kumar - 8/10

Tristan Stubbs during Pakistan v South Africa - ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 [Getty Images]

We have given 8/10 rating to three players, who are Tristan Stubbs, Rasikh Salam Dar and Sumit Kumar. While Stubbs was picked up for ₹50 lakh, Rasikh and Sumit were snapped up for ₹20 lakh and ₹1 crore, respectively.

Releasing Phil Salt, DC replaced the Englishman with Stubbs, who is a hard-hitting South African batter. Stubbs can hit the ball very long and has a power game.

Rasikh Salam and Sumit Kumar were two more uncapped buys for DC. Rasikh who is a genuine fast bowler, even previously played for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He is a quality right-arm bowler and will be the only uncapped pacer in the DC squad.

Sumit Kumar, meanwhile, recently shot to success after a brilliant Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023 campaign for Haryana. He donned the finishing role for his side and amassed 183 runs at an immaculate strike rate of 155.08 and also took 18 wickets at an incredible average of 16.78 across 10 games.

Due to his heroics all through the tournament, Sumit was adjudged the Player of the Tournament as Haryana lifted their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy.

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#4 Kumar Kushagra - 7.5/10

Kumar Kushagra became the costliest buy for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2024 auction as the franchise shelled out ₹7.20 crore for the youngster.

Hailing from Jharkhand, Kushagra is a hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batter who is likely to start for the franchise in the upcoming season. Kushagra hit the headlines last year when he belted 266 runs during a Ranji Trophy match for Jharkhand and thus became the youngest ever to score a 250 in the tournament.

At just 19 years of age, Kushagra has already made 868 first-class and 700 List-A career runs. While Kushagra has great potential, it still remains to be seen if the investment in him will reap rewards in the future.

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#5 Shai Hope and Ricky Bhui - 7/10

Shai Hope during West Indies vs England [Getty Images]

Despite already having four frontline keepers in the squad, it was bewildering to see Delhi add up two more wicketkeepers in the mix. They signed Shai Hope and Ricky Bhui for their base prices of ₹75 lakh and ₹20 lakh, respectively.

Having picked up Tristan Stubbs early on, DC still went after Hope, who is not renowned for his T20 batting. Although a complete player, Hope hasn't played IPL before and has made 493 runs at an average of 22.41 across 26 T20 internationals.

Ricky Bhui, meanwhile, has represented Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) before and features regularly in all three formats for his state, Andhra Pradesh. Bhui had a marvellous Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023 campaign earlier this year, where he made 234 runs at a strike rate of 184.25 across seven matches.

While both Hope and Bhui bring experience to the team, they are expected to warm the benches for most of the season.