Delhi Capitals, a team which always had big stars and talented youngsters, couldn't lay their hands on the coveted IPL trophy. With the Mega Auctions approaching in a week, they would look to change their fortunes this season by choosing a good side who have the potential to become a champion side and lift their maiden IPL trophy.
Franchise Details:-
Owners:- GMR Group (Kiran Kumar Gandhi) and JSW Group (Parth Jindal) Stakes of 50% each.
Purchase Price:- Rs 625 Crores (USD 84 Million) on 20th February 2008.
Head Coach:- Ricky Ponting.
Assistant Coaches:- Mohammad Kaif, Pravin Amre and Ajay Ratra.
Team Analyst:- Sriram Somayajula.
2021 Squad:-
Rishabh Pant, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Amit Mishra, Aniruddha Joshi, Anrich Nortje, Marcus Stoinis, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Chris Woakes, Lalit Yadav, Ben Dwarshuis, Lukman Meriwala, Kulwant Khejroliya, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Tom Curran, Vishnu Vinod, Shimron Hetmyer, Sam Billings, Shams Mulani, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rippal Patel, Praveen Dubey, Manimaran Siddharth.
Performance Track Record:-
When we talk about Delhi Daredevils/Delhi Capitals stint in the IPL, it has been a mixed bag as a whole. They have started well in the first 5 seasons and then they have completely underperformed and tilted in the next 6 seasons. Recently in the last 3 years with the name change of the franchise, their destiny has also changed as they have been one of the best and consistent teams in the tournament off late.
2008:- 4th Position
2009:- Semi Final 1
2010:- 5th Position
2011:- 10th Position
2012:- Qualifier 2
2013:- 9th Position
2014:- 8th Position
2015:- 8th Position
2016:- 6th Position
2017:- 6th Position
2018:- 8th Position
2019:- Qualifier 2
2020:- Finalist
2021:- Qualifier 2
2021 Performance Report Card:-
The 2021 squad of Delhi Capitals was all about the combination of experienced players and young players. The team was known for having the best Indian core batting lineup and one of the best bowling attacks with express pacers and spinners of each kind of varieties. They made a big and bold decision last year by appointing Rishabh Pant as captain due to the injury of Shreyas Iyer. Even after the comeback of Iyer in Phase 2 of the IPL leg which happened at UAE, Rishabh continued to be the captain of the side and this move could have been because of keeping the brand value and future of Delhi Capitals in mind. Overall they had a great season and brilliant performance in all the departments last year barring the last 3 matches.
Retained Players For 2022 Edition:-
Rishabh Pant (16 Crores):- Rishabh Pant has had a good season with the bat last year with 419 runs at an average of 34.91 and a strike rate of 128.52. He was phenomenal with gloves as his wicket keeping skills have improved from time to time. Captaincy was decent enough from him being a first timer and he helped DC reach the playoffs in the 2021 season.
Axar Patel (9 Crores):- Axar Patel has had a good season with the ball last year by picking up 15 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 20.40 and economy rate of 6.65. Retaining him was a good move as he is one of the best left arm all rounders from current lot of Indian players.
Prithvi Shaw (7.5 Crores):- Prithvi Shaw had a great season last year scoring 479 runs at an average of 31.93 and strike rate of 159.13. Last season, he scored 6 back to back fours against Shivam Mavi during DC vs KKR match. Prithvi Shaw is someone who can win matches single handedly on his days.
Anrich Nortje (6.5 Crores):- Anrich Nortje had a decent season last year by picking 12 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 15.58 and economy rate of 6.16. His express pace has always made batsmen uncomfortable on pitch.
Players to target for in the upcoming 2022 IPL Auction:-
Delhi Capitals will enter in the auction with the lowest purse (47.5 Crores) and it will be challenging for them to choose a balanced side and a side with the combination of experience and youth which the previous Delhi team had (2018-2021). They would also look for good backup/ substitute players as they play a key role in later stages of this 2 and half month long IPL.
Mitchell Marsh/Jason Holder:- With Marcus Stoinis joining Team Lucknow, Delhi Capitals would very much need a quality batting all rounder (Marsh) or a quality bowling all rounder (Holder) as the Kotla Stadium would suit them.
Adam Zampa/ Yuzvendra Chahal:- Leg Spinners are the most important prospect for the success of an T20 team as they play a key role in this format. Both Zampa and Chahal are experienced and proven leg spinners who can pick wickets at regular intervals, break partnerships and bowl economically.
Lockie Ferguson/ Adam Milne :- As Rabada hasn't been retained, DC would look for an express pacer who could accompany Nortje.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar/ Harshal Patel:- They are the best available bowlers in auction who can bowl at slower pace and with plenty of variations in their bowling. Feroz Shah Kotla Pitches has always assisted and benefited slower delivery bowlers as the ball bounce stays very low here.
Devdutt Padikkal/ Yash Dull:- Two highly talented players who can anchor the innings with Shaw going aggressive on the other end. They can be the future investments option for Delhi Capitals.Yash Dull has been part of Delhi Capitals Cricket Academy before becoming the U-19 captain of Team India in the Asia Cup and World Cup.
SWOT Analysis:-
Strengths:- The franchise covered all the important and different kinds of roles each player provides.
Pant as keeper, Shaw as an opening batsmen, Axar as an all rounder, Nortje As an Pacer.
Ricky Pointing being part of Delhi support staff is a lottery bonus as he is one of the smartest cricketer and a coach who understands the game and players well and someone who believes in strategies and preparation. His presence also helps giving players motivation and making them comfortable when they are going through bad form.
Weakness:- They need their batsmen to be more consistent with bat especially Shaw and Pant, as this time with the price of their IPL contracts being high, huge responsibility lies ahead on their shoulders and added pressure could be trouble for both of these youngsters.
Opportunities:- If Shaw has a cracking season, he could be called back to the Indian Cricket Team. And the new players who will represent Delhi franchise from this season will also have great opportunities as IPL is the best platform to earn name and fame, and to perform and get selected to players' respective national team.
Threats:- As Delhi Capitals have the lowest purse for the IPL Auctions, they may find it difficult to pick a balanced squad and if they fail here in this aspect of not having a balanced squad in mega auctions, it might affect them for the next 2-3 editions of The Tata IPL.
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