Same old Delhi Capitals but with more positives

Delhi Capitals have finished their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 league stage with a 19-run win against Lucknow Super Giants. The win keeps them mathematically alive, but their chances are minimal. 

Playing true to their established trait in this auction cycle, Delhi reserved their worst cricket and fortune for the big moments.

They lost four of their first five games. Then, they reversed that equation, winning four of their next five. But instead of striking while the iron was hot, they dropped a crucial game against Kolkata that could have lifted them to the second spot on the points table. On the other hand, you also have to empathize with them, given how Jake Fraser-McGurk was run out in a do-or-die clash against RCB.

Falling one win short, they would look back at results that should have gone their way. Chasing 267 against Hyderabad, Delhi razed off half the target inside the first 10 overs but couldn’t continue with similar aggression despite firepower left in the tank. In Match 9, They let Rajasthan recover from 36/3 to post 185 and again lost steam midway in the run chase. 

Delhi could also have had better chances if their net run rate wasn’t negative (-0.377). Heavy defeats — 106 runs against KKR and 67 runs against SRH — must also be stinging them.

Eventually, a team that qualified for three years in a row between 2019 and 2021 will end up without any playoff qualification in this auction cycle. Yet, this is their most successful season of the cycle, giving the sense of a side that has punched above its weight. It has brought more good than bad, along with a few questions. 

The good 

Promising young blood

Delhi had a number of new players added to the roaster this year doing well for them. In fact, they produced two breakout stars of the season. Tristan Stubbs came in with high hopes, smashing sixes for fun in the 2024 SA20. He was even better in IPL 2024. The right-hander hammered 378 runs, averaging 54 at a strike rate of 190.9. These are gold dust numbers and after many years, Delhi seem to have an established finisher in their pool. 

At the top, JFM hit the tournament like a cannonball. Delhi’s streak of wins began with his debut, in which he scored 55 off 35 balls. He was promoted to the top of the order and fired right away at a strike rate of 238.6—the highest in the season for any opener with at least 200 runs. 

Three of his four fifties in the season came in 15, 19 and 19 balls. If there were an award for the best replacement player of the season, it may go to this 22-year-old from Australia. 

Who would have thought that Abishek Porel and Fraser-McGurk would be Delhi’s opening pair of the season? Porel did justice to his role at the top of the order, scoring 327 runs at a strike rate of 159.5. With the ball, Rasikh Dar held his own in crunch situations while defending totals. 

The spin twins

Heading into the tournament, Delhi’s spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel were one of the squad's few strengths. As things stand, both are among the top five spinners in the season, Axar in terms of economy (7.7) and Kuldeep with wickets (16 in only 11 matches). As a result, DC boasted one of the better spin bowling attacks in the tournament. 

Pant’s return

Rishabh Pant’s return was a bigger narrative in this IPL than Delhi Capitals itself. His batting form went through its ups and downs. He emerged as the side’s highest run-scorer, scoring 446 runs (the second most by a wicketkeeper batter this year), averaging 40.6 at a strike rate of 155.4. His top score of 88 not out tore into Gujarat’s bowling.

At the same time, he was scratchy in many other innings. His struggle to continue DC’s momentum in the middle overs proved costly in a few run chases. The left-hander seemed to be playing too many shots, losing his balance far more frequently. Overall, it was the return of the Rishabh Pant we know, annoying and astonishing in equal measures. 

But the fact that he played all the games in which he was allowed to take the field looked fitter than before, looked sharp as a wicketkeeper and made his way back into the Indian team with his World Cup selection are reasons enough to celebrate his return. 

The bad

The expensive pace attack

At 10.9, Delhi have the most expensive pace bowling attack of the 2024 season. They received a hammering during the death overs, conceding more than 60 in this five-over phase six times. 

With none of their overseas options working out, Delhi shifted to playing four Indian seamers. The strategy worked with Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Rasikh and Ishant Sharma doing just enough to pull through as a bowling attack. The cushion provided by the spinners helped. But overall, pace bowling remained DC’s weaker suit in the wind of an intent-driven IPL. 

Poor in chase

For some reason, Delhi’s batting capitulated while chasing. Their artillery of free-flowing batters couldn’t come together in the pressure of a run chase. They won only two of the seven matches while chasing. However, they were a different side while batting first, losing only two of seven games while batting first. The difference is clearly visible in the outcome of their last two fixtures. 

The Ugly

Player unavailabilities

Player unavailabilities were another annoying aspect of their campaign. Harry Brook never arrived. Lungi Ngidi never started due to injury but replacing him with a batter in JFM turned out to be a masterstroke.

Mitchell Marsh instead of Gulbadin Naib in the last few games could have given DC a powerful look, but the Australian all-rounder had already headed back home due to a groin strain. Warner himself suffered a finger injury in between. And the skipper Pant getting banned for a virtual knockout clash against RCB was the final nail in the coffin. 

For a side set to miss the playoffs by one win, these factors played a significant part in Delhi’s fate. 

Fielding

At 72.2%, Delhi's catching efficiency was the second-worst in the season. Against RCB, they dropped three catches within 14 balls. 

Warner, Nortje disappoint

Anrich Nortje was the biggest disappointment from the Delhi camp. Supposed to be the nucleus of the pace attack, Nortje managed only seven wickets in six games at an economy of 13.2. He is the most expensive bowler of the season, with a minimum of five wickets. 

His form drowned Delhi’s chances in a few games, with his figures of 3/160 in nine overs bowled at the death. DC may have to take the harsh call of parting ways with Nortje ahead of the new cycle.

There might be a similar narrative for David Warner, who will be 38 before the mega auction. After two fifties in the first three innings, he scored only 38 runs in the next five innings at a strike rate of 108.7.

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