IPL 2019: Delhi Capitals team preview

Squad

Batsmen: Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Manjot Kalra, Hanuma Vihari, Colin Ingram, Sherfaine Rutherford.

Bowlers: Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Sandeep Lamichhane, Trent Boult, Ishant Sharma, Nathu Singh, Keemo Paul, Bandaru Ayyappa.

All-Rounders: Harshal Patel, Rahul Tewatia, Colin Munro, Chris Morris, Axar Patel, Jalaj Saxena.

Wicketkeepers: Ankush Bains, Rishabh Pant.

In the months leading up to each IPL season, the talk always seems to be about how balanced the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) look on paper. But much to their dismay, the potential remains written on paper.

They were expected to do much better last season, with the assignment of veteran Ricky Ponting as the Head Coach. Although the end result was a very familiar one for the Capitals, I thought they really got the combination right and, as a result, pulled things back at the fag-end of the season by comprehensively outplaying the heavyweight teams of Chennai and Mumbai.

The biggest blunder they committed last season was omitting Sandeep Lamichhane from the playing XI. Pre-season, Ponting had labelled Lamichhane as a ‘work in progress’ and ‘raw’, but the reality is that quite often, these factors work in your favour in T20 cricket.

The leggie eventually played the last three games, albeit out of experimentation, and picked up 5 wickets at an economy rate of 6.83. Knowing Ponting, he isn’t one to make too many mistakes, so I’m expecting Delhi to field a much more tactical team in IPL 2019, which is not necessarily stronger on paper.

Predicted Playing XI:

1) Shikhar Dhawan

2) Prithvi Shaw

3) Shreyas Iyer (c)

4) Rishabh Pant (wk)

5) Colin Ingram

6) Chris Morris

7) Axar Patel

8) Harshal Patel

9) Kagiso Rabada

10) Amit Mishra

11) Sandeep Lamichhane

It doesn’t take much to see how deep this team has the potential to bat. If Kagiso Rabada is fitted in at 9, the bowling team would have their work cut out against Delhi. The Capitals can go the route of horses for courses, which not many teams have the luxury of.

If they’re playing at the Wankhede, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan and Trent Boult could walk into the side for utilizing the extra zip and bounce off the surface.

If they’re up against Chennai at the Chepauk or Kolkata at the Eden Gardens, Hanuma Vihari, who's got a good range of strokes against the spinners, could get an opportunity with the bat and they could slot a very able spin trio consisting of Amit Mishra, Sandeep Lamichhane and Rahul Tewatia.

Another aspect that stands out in this side is the flexibility. In a big 200-plus chase, which is highly probable at the Feroz Shah Kotla, I’d open with Pant. If there are frequent batting collapses, Vihari can be given the role of a run accumulator, similar to how CSK had used Badrinath so effectively in the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

If the think tank is in a very radical mood, Harshal Patel can also be used higher up the order. Last season, the all-rounder showed his hitting abilities in the few opportunities that were given to him.

It’s all about using the resources effectively, as teams like Chennai and Kolkata have shown in the past.

What’s very critical for this side is Chris Morris’ form. The South African was a runaway success for the Daredevils in the 2016 season, scoring 195 runs at a strike rate of 180, whilst picking up 13 wickets at an economy rate of 7. If the duo of Axar Patel and Chris Morris can manage to finish games off with the bat, that would be ideal for the combination of the side, providing them with bowling depth.

Going into the last season, Morris was the first retention, but he couldn’t really justify the hefty price tag or the faith shown by the management.

The one area that could be an Achilles' heel is the death bowling. There isn’t much of experience on the bench. Rabada, on most days, will give you four quality overs. The potential problem could arise from the other end, if Morris isn’t at his best. He leaked runs at an economy rate in excess of 10 during the last season.

Harshal Patel is inexperienced, Ishant Sharma isn’t the best option on all surfaces and Avesh Khan went the distance last season. Trent Boult is an option, but if they were to play him and Rabada together, it could lead to a certain imbalance.

To counter the death bowling issue is exactly why they need to fit in Morris and Axar Patel in the top seven. That would give Shreyas Iyer plenty of bowling options and combinations to play with.

I’ll go ahead and make the bold but predictable call by stating that the Delhi Capitals will finish in the top four. Their top order is as good as it gets, and with the inclusion of Dhawan, I think they’ve found a steady opening partnership.

The situation last year got very desperate with as many as four to five different batsmen being tried at the top. That won't be the case this year.

They’ve got plenty of bowling options ranging from the handy leg-spin of Colin Ingram to the fiery pace of Kagiso Rabada. Delhi’s had better squads in the past, but this one certainly isn’t the worst, by any stretch of the imagination.

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