The only team to have not made it to the final of the Indian Premier League, Delhi Capitals (earlier known as Delhi Daredevils) had a good season last year, as they made their way to the knockout phase. With a young Indian group as its core and a couple of seasoned Indians traded in, this season is another chance for them to aim for the title. Shreyas Iyer has a calm head on his shoulder and will be expected to lead from the front yet again. The likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin will bolster the think tank of the franchise.
They have game changers in their ranks and in Ricky Ponting have the perfect man to nurture the talent. Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer and Marcus Stoinis were all bought in the auctions and will add tremendous value to the squad.
Full Squad
Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Jason Roy, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Mohit Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, R Ashwin, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, Rishabh Pant, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande
Indians to watch out for
Shreyas Iyer
The captain has stormed back into the Indian ODI team and will use that confidence to lead the team from the front. A good IPL season will help him stake claim for a place in the team for the ICC T20 World Cup as well.
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant will be in direct competition with MS Dhoni in this year’s tournament and a good season with both bat and gloves will be necessary for Pant to make his position safe for the ICC T20 World Cup. His confidence has taken a beating due to his iffy form with the bat in international cricket. He though has been a star performer for the Capitals and needs to be the X-factor his team again.
Ajinkya Rahane
With Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan in the team, Rahane might have to warm the bench in the initial phase. But there has always been a question mark on Shaw’s consistency and that is where Rahane can turn out to be a trump card for DC.
Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan made an immediate impact since coming in from Sunrisers Hyderabad and provided consistency at the top of the order for DC. He too needs a big tournament to make his psotion safe in the national team.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin was traded in from KXIP and the veteran spinner will look to turn the fortunes of a franchise which has historically struggled in the IPL. With Kuldeep Yadav struggling with his form, this could be a crucial tournament for the off spinner if he wants to resurrect his white ball international career
Overseas players to watch out for:
Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada is one of the best pacers in the world and he has proven his worth in the IPL time and again. The South African pacer has proven lately that he is a potent force even with the white ball. Pace, accuracy and hostility makes Rabada quite a handful and this is what will enthuse Delhi Capital fans.
Shimron Hetmyer
The hard hitting West Indian had a great tour of India last year and that prompted DC to shell out the millions for him in auction. His IPL record isn’t the best but he is a player who can win a match single handedly. His presence will help lessen the burden of Rishabh Pant down the order.
Sandeep Lamichhane
The young Nepal leg-spinner has been making all the right moves and was good in the limited matches he got last year. He will be a good attacking option for Shreyas Iyer in the middle overs.
Past record
2008: Fourth
2009: Third
2010: Fifth
2011: Tenth
2012: Third
2013: Ninth
2014: Eighth
2015: Seventh
2016: Sixth
2017: Sixth
2018: Eighth
2019: Fourth
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