TEAM PREVIEW
Follow UsIPL 2023 Finish: 9th
New additions: Tristan Stubbs, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Shai Hope, Jhye Richardson, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Ricky Bhui, Swastik Chikara, Sumit Kumar, Rasikh Salam
Delhi Capitals are an interesting side. They peaked in their previous auction cycle (2018-2021) but haven’t been able to carry forward the good work. In 2022, they narrowly missed the playoffs and went further south in 2023, escaping the wooden spoon somehow.
In 2024, an air of uncertainty runs through their line-up.
In a big relief, Rishabh Pant is fit to take the field after missing the last season. But in what capacity? Will he only bat? If that is the case, who will lead the side while bowling? And if he cannot keep wickets, where will he field to lead the side?
And what to expect from Jake Fraser-McGurk? Also, Anrich Nortje hasn’t played enough cricket coming into the season.
The questions don’t end there. When writing this preview, the side is yet to name a replacement for Harry Brook. A few of their first-choice players, Tristan Stubbs and Kumar Kushagra, don’t have enough IPL experience.
No other team probably has these many question marks around their first-choice players. While you comprehend the misery of this situation, do not forget the tactical blunders that DC has made in the past.
They are playing five matches in the schedule announced till April 7, and two of those games are at their adopted home ground in Visakhapatnam. That poses another question: How will no matches in Delhi fare for them?
What can win them the trophy?
Can the top four fire to their potential?
DC possesses a lot of firepower in its top four: David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, and Pant. However, they need all four at their best, and there are some caveats attached to each of them.
To begin with, Warner had the second-lowest strike rate in IPL 2023 (131.6) among the 14 openers who scored over 300 runs in the season. Shaw had a horror IPL last year, averaging just 13.3 in eight innings. His form and technique against balls swinging at pace will be put to the test.
On the contrary, Marsh struggles against spin. In T20s since 2021, when Marsh established himself in Australia’s T20I side, he averages 27.2 against spin compared to 46.4 against pace. Even his strike rate takes a hit, going down from 151.9 against pace to 127.4 against spin.
Moreover, Pant will be playing for the first time since recovering from his road accident in December 2022.
If things click between these four, DC have one of the most dynamic top orders, with a blend of players who can counter both spin and pace.
The Axar-Kuldeep spin combo
One of DC's biggest positives is that they have the strongest pair of first-choice spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, both quite active in international cricket as well. Between them, Delhi also cover the slot for a wrist spinner as well as a finger spinner.
They didn’t pick many wickets last year but were the most economical spin bowling unit. And the preceding season was an anomaly. Overall, since 2022, Kuldeep has been the fourth-highest wicket-taking spinner (31). And among the 16 spinners to pick over 15 wickets in this time period, Axar has the fourth-best economy (7.3).
But given that DC’s pace battery doesn’t look intimidating, the spin duo will have to hunt most of the wickets.
What could cost them the title?
Finishing incapability
Delhi have been constantly pinned down by the lack of quality finishers for a couple of auction cycles now. In IPL 2023, they had the lowest run-rate (8.3) and average (14.3) in the final five overs with the bat. Axar Patel scored nearly one-third of Delhi’s death over runs in the preceding season and has been the only constant figure for the side in this phase since joining the team in 2019.
Again, this year, their fortunes seem to be heavily dependent on fate.
Unless they bat Marsh down the order at five, they will have to bank on players like Stubbs, Kushagra and Ricky Bhui to back Patel in the lower middle order. These three players have only played six innings in the IPL between them. Moreover, they have a stern challenge in store: to face the specialist bowlers for this phase.
Thus, Delhi better be prepared to counter this ever-lasting threat hovering over their head. At the moment, it appears that DC will expect Pant, set to return at number four after skipping the last season, to bat deep.
Will Nortje’s form and fitness hold up?
Anrich Nortje’s form and fitness will decide Delhi’s destiny in the pace bowling department. There has been a direct link between his and Delhi’s form in the past. However, the dependency on Nortje will be even more this time.
In 2020 and 2021, DC operated with two overseas pacers alongside Avesh Khan, who had his best IPL years with this team. They lost that liberty after the 2022 mega auction.
Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar had a hit-and-miss IPL last year, averaging above 30 at an economy above 9 last year. The backups are Ishant Sharma (12 IPL games in the last three seasons), Rasikh Salam (overall three IPL games), Sumit Kumar (no IPL experience as yet) and Jhye Richardson (no update on his injury status). Even Mitchell Marsh, their prime pace-bowling all-rounder, is injury-prone.
Nortje himself will feature in the season, having played only two professional matches in the past eight months and after recovering from a stress fracture in his back. Last year, he struggled in both aspects of bowling, i.e., taking wickets and preserving runs.
Delhi fans will keep their fingers crossed whenever Nortje appears on the screen.
Things to watch out for
- Pant’s comeback
- Nortje’s form and fitness
- Shaw’s technique against new ball pacers
- Can Axar leapfrog Ravindra Jadeja to become India's first-choice spin-bowling all-rounder in T20Is?
Probable XI
Prithvi Shaw, David Warner*, Mitchell Marsh*, Rishabh Pant, Tristan Stubbs*, Axar Patel, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje*, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Lalit Yadav/Sumit Kumar (Impact Player)
DC can use either of Lalit Yadav or Sumit Kumar as their Impact Player, depending on the pitches. Both are lower-order batters. Lalit bowls off breaks and can be called in on turning tracks or against left-handed heavy batting line-ups. Meanwhile, Sumit will stand a better chance on flatter or pace-friendly pitches.
Uncapped X-Factor
Delhi won the bidding war with Kolkata Knight Riders to sign Haryana’s all-rounder Sumit Kumar at INR 1 crore. He is 28 years old and a seam bowler with handy lower-order batting credentials. He averages 39.3 batting at number seven at a strike rate of 134.2. In the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the right-arm pacer snapped seven wickets in five matches, averaging 10.4 runs per wicket at an economy of 6.4.
There could be a few opportunities in store for Sumit this year. He can also be regularly used as the Impact Player owing to his all-round capabilities.
Schedule till April 7
March 23: Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals (Away)
March 28: Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals (Away)
March 31: Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings (Home - Visakhapatnam)
April 3: Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders (Home - Visakhapatnam)
April 7: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals (Away)
