Continuing our auction preview series, we are going to talk about Delhi Capitals in today’s article.
Delhi Capitals, owned by the JSW group, have not been a very successful franchise in the Indian Premier League even though they have been a part of the league since the very first season in 2008. They have played the final only once in 2020 where they lost to Mumbai Indians one-sidedly.
In the last season of IPL, they finished in the fifth position in the points table and missed out on the playoff spot just by 2 points.
Delhi Capitals’ current squad is –
Rishabh Pant (c, wk), David Warner (overseas), Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell (overseas), Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh (overseas), Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, Aman Khan, Anrich Nortje (overseas), Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi (overseas), Mustafizur Rahman (overseas).
Delhi Capitals currently have a very strong squad and already have 20 players in their squad. They can buy a maximum of 2 overseas players and 3 domestic players in the auction. They released Shardul Thakur (traded to KKR) earlier this month, which freed a lot of funds for them. They have INR 19.45 crores and can spoil the party for many teams along with completing their whole squad. We will try to break down their probable starting 11 for IPL 2023 season and see what they can do to make the playoffs this year and maybe go all the way to the trophy.
🚨Shardul Thakur has been traded to KKR from Delhi Capitals .
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.#IPL2023 #DC #KKR #ShardulThakur #Auctions #IPLAuction #Ipl2023Retention #IPL #iplauction2023 #ipltrade pic.twitter.com/BjdJQuCrDF— Top Edge Cricket (@topedge_cricket) November 14, 2022
The opening duties will be handled by David Warner, an IPL legend, and Prithvi Shaw, an explosive opener who can hit sixes from ball one. The number 3 position will be handled by Mitchell Marsh, who has improved a lot as a batter in the past few years. Rishabh Pant, the captain of Delhi Capitals will bat at the number 4 position.
#DelhiCapitals have only 5 slots to fill! 🤠
How will #RishabhPant & Co. spend the windfall from the #ShardulThakur trade? Watch here to find out #IPLAuction #IPL2023 pic.twitter.com/rQNp8LI1dE
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) December 17, 2022
They will play Rovman Powell at 5 who handled finishing duties for them last year also and was exceptional. They have 2-3 options for number 6 and can play any of Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, or Lalit Yadav. Axar Patel will play at 7 and Kuldeep Yadav will most probably accompany him as the other spinner.
Now for the three fast bowlers, I think Anrich Nortje will surely play but the other two I am not certain. One might be Chetan Sakariya and the other could be Khaleel Ahmed if they don’t get any Indian fast bowlers in the auction. They can also look for an Indian batter at 5 and can play Mustafizur Rahman as the third pacer. They need a good wicketkeeper as a backup for Rishabh Pant and need to get some quality Indian pacers.
Once again, a lot of responsibility will be on Pant’s shoulders as he has not been that kind of player in the IPL yet. David Warner would surely look forward to making a comeback in the IPL after a poor run in the previous season. In the bowling department, Anrich Nortje will be the most important player for Delhi just because of his sheer pace and accurate bowling. Mitchell Marsh can prove to be that X-factor player for them this season.
