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IPL 2022: Lethal in pace but lack of spin options a cause of worry as Pant's Delhi Capitals look to end title drought
Delhi Capitals have come close to the coveted IPL title in the past three years; however, a new squad brings with itself a new set of challenges for the franchise.
Since the beginning of the Indian Premier League in 2008, the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings have dominated the tournament. The two sides have won a cumulative total of 9 editions of the tournament out of 14 so far; however, the past few seasons saw an emergence of a strong contender to challenge the two IPL stalwarts – Delhi Capitals. In 2019, the Capitals had reached the playoffs stage for the first time in seven years and since then, the franchise has made it a habit. The IPL trophy may have remained a distant dream for the franchise so far, but the side has undoubtedly been steering closer.
Ahead of the 2022 edition of the tournament, the franchise – coached by Australia legend Ricky Ponting – retained its captain Rishabh Pant, opener Prithvi Shaw, left-arm spinner Axar Patel, and lethal pace bowler Anrich Nortje. The Capitals may have had to endure parting ways with a huge number of players who had been a part of the side last season; however, Delhi ended the two-day mega auction with a strong squad that is set to kickstart a new era for the franchise in the upcoming edition.
On the first day of the auction, Delhi Capitals enjoyed a reunion with David Warner, who had earlier represented the Delhi franchise (Delhi Daredevils) when he first joined the IPL. Warner is likely to replace fellow left-handed batter Shikhar Dhawan in the opening order, who was bought by Punjab Kings. In the batting order, Capitals have placed their faith in a largely Indian core with youngsters like Ashwin Hebbar, 2022 U-19 World Cup-winning captain Yash Dhull and domestic star Mandeep Singh. West Indies’ Rovman Powell and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh were also bought by the Capitals while wicketkeeper KS Bharat, who produced consistent outings at No.3 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore last year, is expected to play in a similar role for the Capitals this year.
Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, and Lalit Yadav were among the other all-rounders for the Capitals; however, the side derives its strength from the pace bowling arsenal. In addition to Nortje, Capitals bought his South Africa teammate Lungi Ngidi alongside Indian left-arm quicks Khaleel Ahmed and Chetan Sakariya. The side also boasts of an overseas left-arm pacer in Mustafizur Rahman. Shardul Thakur, who had been a key part of the CSK over the past few years, will also be donning the Delhi colors this season. Among spinners, Kuldeep Yadav is set to partner Axar Patel.
As Delhi Capitals step into the new season, here is a SWOT analysis of the team:
Strength: Pace attack
In the past few years, DC’s stunning pace bowling duo of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada had ruled the roost in the IPL. A four-player limit on retentions forced Capitals to part ways with Rabada and the franchise failed to bring the South African quick back to the side, with Punjab Kings succeeding in his signature. However, it didn’t dampen Delhi’s spirit in the mega auction.
The side invested in young left-arm bowler Chetan Sakariya who had been one of the most consistent performers for the Rajasthan Royals in the last season. Sakariya was the second-highest wicket-taker for the franchise with 14 wickets in as many games. The youngster is expected to be a regular starter for the Capitals alongside Nortje, who enjoyed a stellar season with DC despite enduring a tryst with injuries last season. Nortje bowled at an economy rate of only 6.16, taking 12 wickets in eight games. For the Capitals so far, the South African has taken 34 wickets in 24 matches.
Besides Sakariya, the presence of senior India pacer Shardul Thakur (21 wickets in 16 matches in IPL 2021) will be key for Pant. Khaleel Ahmed (32 wickets in 24 IPL matches) and Mustafizur Rahman (38 wickets in 38 IPL matches) also bring significant experience with them in the pace bowling attack.
Nortje’s fellow countryman Lungi Ngidi didn’t enjoy the best of outings in IPL 2021 with Chennai Super Kings (5 wickets in 3 games at an economy rate of 10.41); nevertheless, he will be hoping for a fruitful season with a new franchise.
Weakness: Spin bowling
The Capitals had boasted of an array of quality spinners over the last couple of seasons. In the 2021 edition, the side had spinners like Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra in their roster; however, Delhi will be missing both players in the upcoming season.
The Capitals, however, did retain left-arm orthodox bowler Axar Patel and bring another left-armer in Kuldeep Yadav to their squad. However, Kuldeep's performances in the IPL over the past few years have hardly been inspiring and the bowler doesn't enter the tournament with the best of forms. After remaining out-of-favour for a large part of the previous 12 months, Kuldeep made a return to the international colours in February, playing in sole T20I against Sri Lanka. While he didn’t take a wicket, Kuldeep registered economical figures of 0/22 in four overs.
In addition to the Team India duo, the franchise's spin-attack features domestic players like Vicky Ostwal and Pravin Dubey, who remain unproven in the IPL so far.
Opportunity: All-rounders
Delhi boasts of multiple proven names in the all-round department in the likes of Mitchell Marsh and Rovman Powell, in addition to Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur. While Thakur has been officially listed as a bowler in the IPL roster, the batter's big-hitting prowess could prove handy for the team in the lower-middle order. Granted, he has hardly batted in the IPL so far (Thakur batted only twice in 16 matches last season for CSK), but with a new team and under a new management, Thakur might find more opportunities with the bat.
Marsh, primarily a batter, could chip in with a few overs alongside Powell, while Axar Patel has shown glimpses of his talent with the bat over the past few seasons in the IPL as well.
Threat: Middle-order
In the last season, the Delhi Capitals middle-order comprised of the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Shimron Hetmyer in addition to Rishabh Pant. This year, however, Capitals enter the season with a fairly untested middle-order.
While Prithvi Shaw and David Warner are likely to open the batting for the side, two of their major domestic buys -- Ashwin Hebbar and Yash Dhull -- also play as openers for their respective state sides. While one of KS Bharat or Marsh would likely be the no.3, Rovman Powell (yet to play an IPL match), Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant are likely to fill the remaining spots in the middle and lower-middle order. Sarfaraz has a fair amount of IPL experience under his belt; however, the Capitals will hope for him to be more consistent with his performances.
Moreover, Powell is currently injured and it is unsure whether he would be able to recover in time for the season opener against Mumbai Indians on March 27.
