The franchise from Delhi happens to be the only side that still hasn’t reached the finals of the IPL since it’s inception. It will be interesting to see whether a name change will work in their favor.
It certainly would not be surprising if the fans from the capital have already given up on their side. Such has been the display of performance from the side in the past few years.
Delhi Capitals, previously known as Delhi Daredevils, track record makes for a very poor reading. The last six seasons have seen them finish only as high as 6th.
But each year a new hope is pinned on their side due to the players they possess under their disposal. Usually popular for promoting young talents to the international stage, the Delhi franchise has been the hub for one to earn himself a name.
Having had Dravid at their coaching group for a few years, a number of cricketers including the likes of Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Prithvi Shaw have been seen announcing themselves at the international level.
Even though all this may make for a pleasant read, at the end of the day it’s the results that matter and Delhi on that department have performed poorly.
Now with Ricky Ponting entering into his second season with the DC and with them recruiting some amazing talent in the recently concluded auction, the side will have high hopes to deliver this time around.
Even before the commencement of the auction, the side wasted no time as they exchanged young guns to bring back Dhawan. They retained 14 of their players but let go of key players such as Glenn Maxwell, Jason Roy, Dan Christian and Mohammad Shami.
Auction day saw them purchase a total of 10 players that included a mix of youth and experience. Their costliest pick was Colin Ingram who was sold for a mammoth 6.4 crores. Some of the other key buys included Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma and Hanuman Vihari.
Dhawan’s return to the side will see him open the innings alongside young Prithvi Shaw, which will be a treat to watch for every cricketing fan in India.
Pant and Iyer have proven time and again that the tournament is made for them and have contributed immensely in recent times. This time though one eye will be on the world cup each time they walk out to bat. Iyer who took over the reigns from Gambhir did a commendable job and will now be seen as the side’s permanent captain.
Boult as usual will spearhead the bowling attack and he will be well supported in the other end from the likes of Sandeep Lamichhane and Kagiso Rabada.
Ishant Sharma’s only aim will be to use this opportunity he’s been granted to make a return to the limited overs side.
PREDICTED XI: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Colin Munro, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Chris Morris, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Trent Boult.
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