Note: This article was originally published when the player retention list was announced. The Delhi franchise has since been renamed from Daredevils to Capitals.
Gautam Gambhir was coming back home. Ricky Ponting was at the helm once again for an IPL franchise. He had Glenn Maxwell alongside him too. Some exciting Indian talent in their ranks.
Delhi Daredevils, now Capitals, started the 2018 edition with reasons to be excited but it turned out to be another ‘in transition’ season.
In a season where six different teams were in playoff contention for the most part, Delhi were the first team to be eliminated.
And now, once again, change is afoot in the capital.
Gambhir has been let go, as has been Maxwell (who will not be part of the league this year.)
Retention details / purse remaining
Retained: Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Manjot Kalra, Colin Munro, Chris Morris, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Harshal Patel, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Sandeep Lamichhane, Avesh Khan.
Released: Gautam Gambhir, Jason Roy, Gurkeerat Mann, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Shami, Dan Christian, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sayan Ghosh, Liam Plunkett, Junior Dala, Naman Ojha.
Traded in: Shikhar Dhawan (from Sunrisers Hyderabad).
Traded out: Abhishek Sharma, Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem (to Sunrisers Hyderabad).
Salary cap available: Rs 25.5 crore.
Available slots: Overall - 10; Overseas - 3
Strengths
The young Indian core, undoubtedly. With Shaw, Iyer and Pant, Daredevils undoubtedly have three of the most exciting young Indian batsmen coming through the ranks. Pant had a phenomenal season with the bat and if the other two rally around him Daredevils can pile the runs on at will.
And perhaps to balance that, the Daredevils brought Dhawan back home. Dhawan had consistently delivered for Sunrisers, even if strike rate was a concern, striking a formidable partnership with the more aggressive David Warner and later Kane Williamson at the top of the order. With a tally of 2768 from 91 innings, he is the franchise’s top run-getter.
Here’s more on why the move should work for Daredevils.
In Trent Boult, they have a reliable foreign fast bowler who will last the duration of the season and offer consistency. Rabada is an exciting prospect too after having missed the last edition and Morris will slot in as the all-rounder.
Sandeep Lamichhane impressed at the fag end of last season and his wrist spin could be used more extensively this year.
Weaknesses
When Avesh Khan is the leading Indian pacer left in your line-up, you know that’s an area of weakness. Indian pacers have become important for the success of any franchise, and Khan, Harshal Patel are the only two left in the team. Amit Mishra isn’t getting any younger either while Jayant Yadav is not the most exciting name to have as a backup.
And that’s perhaps why the decision to sell Shahbaz Nadeem and Vijay Shankar to SRH comes across as a bit odd, especially in a season where domestic players could be extra important than in seasons past due to World Cup commitments for internationals.
Another question mark would be on Iyer’s captaincy credentials but the youngster has shown the right signs in his stints so far with Daredevils and Mumbai.
Areas to look for in the auction
Much like Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, DD need good Indian pacers but the options in the auction are going to be limited. Jayadev Undakat seems to be the best bet, who might just be setting off another bidding war. Uncapped players are going to be an option as well.
Axar Patel is someone DD could definitely look into, given they have let Nadeem go to SRH. An Indian spinner or two will also be high on the list of the Ponting-led think-tank, you’d think.
With the second biggest purse available and three overseas slots still open, Delhi could also look to bring in some star power from the foreign internationals. Ponting, despite the plethora of top order batsmen available to him, might be tempted by Aaron Finch who will be a leadership option too.
Will 2019 end a barren run for Daredevils? The makings of a good squad are there for sure.
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