IPL 2020, Delhi Capitals preview: Squad, fixtures, strengths, weaknesses and more

The franchise renaming from Delhi Daredevils to Delhi Capitals evoked plenty of laughs on social media but it sure worked for the team in the 2019 season. A seven-year wait for playoffs came to an end as Shreyas Iyer took the team deep into the tournament where Chennai Super Kings provided one hurdle too tough to overcome.

Ahead of the 2020 edition of Indian Premier League, the Ricky Ponting-coached side will be quietly confident of matching, if not improving on their run from 2019. The title has eluded Delhi over the years and whether they have a championship-winning side is up for debate, but this is a team that can compete against the best.

With a strong core squad, Delhi only had to make a few additions to bolster their team at the auction. But in the period between the auction and the start of the tournament, they have seen two major overseas selections back out. In Chris Woakes and Jason Roy, DC had put their trust in two of England’s best cricketers. But by selecting Anrich Nortje and Daniel Sams to replace them, DC have chosen to strengthen their bowling instead of the batting firepower they will miss out on.

Players in action post lockdown

Most teams will have their Indian contingent quite rusty. The early part of the tournament might be dominated by players who have been in form in the last few months. DC, in that sense, will look to their overseas players to hit the ground running.

But the news is not great on that front with Hetmyer, a player Delhi paid Rs 7.75 crores for, looked out of sorts in the Caribbean Premier League. A return of 267 runs from 11 innings with three 30-plus scores is not exactly poor, considering the pitches that were seen in CPL. But his lack of consistency and application, a tendency to throw his wicket away will worry the DC think-tank. Hetmyer’s Guyana Amazon Warriors teammate Paul, too, did not have the best of tournaments. With a return of 9 wickets in 9 matches and 77 runs in 7 innings, Paul wasn’t at his best.

In Lamichhane, though, DC have a wrist-spinner who can get going from the word go after a good outing in CPL. The leg-spinner from Nepal picked up 12 wickets with an economy rate of 5.3 from the 10 outings he came on to bowl. He was regularly among the wickets and looked in a good rhythm.

While they might be missing out on the England players, DC will have three players from the Australian squad join them for IPL. Carey was already a smart-buy by the franchise and his sensational century in the third ODI against England would have delighted the team even if he was uninspiring before that. Sams comes with a lot of T20 pedigree from his time in the BBL and was part of the squad that toured England. Stoinis’ lack of batting form will be a concern though as the Aussie all-rounder failed to make the most of the opportunities that came his way in the absence of Steve Smith.

Nortje featured in the 3TC event in South Africa and dismissed the belligerent AB de Villiers but Rabada did not feature.

Strengths

Undoubtedly, DC’s strength is their Indian contingent. In addition to having Iyer, Shaw, Pant and Dhawan, the franchise have added Ashwin and Rahane to the mix. True, Rahane is not a name that is going to strike fear in the T20 format but what he brings to the table is years of experience in the league and when pitches become tough for batsmen, he could play the anchor role to perfection.

And in Ashwin, they have a potential regular match-winner in UAE conditions.

Two of DC’s big hopes last season, Shaw and Pant, will be motivated by the desire to prove themselves all over again. They won’t be taking it easy because they know they can’t. With the T20 World Cup in 2021, they will be looking to put their best foot forward and force the selectors’ hands.

IPL 2020: In quest for elusive title, Delhi Capitals banking on a distinct advantage – Indian stars

In coach Ponting, Delhi have a proven match-winner as a player and coach. The young squad could benefit a lot from his guidance. And in Iyer, the team has one of the Indian players who was in great form before the lockdown. He has shown himself to be a smart leader and will want to prove himself once again.

Weaknesses

Delhi is a fascinating IPL case study because their form at home on the sluggish Kotla tracks have been an impediment and not a strong point for them. On many an occasion, the franchise has complained about the nature of the pitches not favouring their strokemakers. That might just be the case once again as the pitches around UAE might start off on the slower side and get even more tired as the season goes on, causing issues for the batting line-up that thrives on tracks where the ball comes on to the bat.

While their top order is a cause of envy for many teams, there have been struggles in the back-end of the innings. The team used experienced Colin Ingram in that role last season without much success. It’s an area where they will hope Hetmyer can play his part, overcoming his hit-and-miss form. Carey is an option too but whether DC will play the Aussie wicketkeeper remains to be seen.

Most Valuable Player

In Shaw, Iyer and Ashwin, Delhi have three Indian players who can provide solid contributions but the match-winning potential that Pant possesses is, arguably, second to none. It had been a tough few months for Pant in international cricket before the lockdown began as he lost his place in the team to KL Rahul (white-ball formats) while Saha emerged as the first-choice in home Tests. There can be no better motivation for the left-hander from Delhi to show what he’s made of. Ponting has been a huge advocate of Pant’s talent, and if he can get the best of the dasher, DC will thrive.

Potential breakout star

It seems ages ago but one of the stars of the domestic white-ball season last year was Haryana’s Harshal Patel. The all-rounder was the only player to feature in the top five of both leading run-scorers and wicket-takers in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament (374 runs, 19 wickets). His performances were one of the reasons behind Haryana’s run to the semi-finals. Chances have been few and far between for him in the IPL (he played just two matches in 2019) but if he gets a constant run of games, Patel might just have his best season yet. The 29-year-old is no youngster, but has the skillset to succeed in the format.

Where do you think DC will finish this year? Will they improve on their 2019 displays? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting to us @thefield_in.