Delhi Capitals is perhaps the most improved side of IPL in the last few years. Ever since Shreyas Iyer took over the captaincy from Gautam Gambhir mid-way through IPL 2018, DC started improving in leaps and bounces. They made the play-offs in IPL 2019 and went all the way to the finals in 2020 only to be beaten by eventual champions Mumbai Indians. In IPL 2021, DC would be hoping to cross the final huddle.
DC, however, were jolted even before the start of this year’s IPL. Their regular captain Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury. Despite having the likes of Steve Smith, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane who have either captained in international matches or IPL, DC decided to show faith in wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant as the skipper of the side.
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Here is the SWOT analysis of DC ahead of IPL 2021
Strengths
Pacers
DC has the most formidable pace attack this season. Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje can send chills down the spine of any batting line-up. Their weakness of a 3rd seamer from last season has also been covered in the form of Umesh Yadav and L Meriwala. Add Ishant Sharma to that list (Didn’t play last season due to injury) and the pace attack is unrivalled.
Explosive finishers
{{/usCountry}}Explosive finishers
{{/usCountry}}With the likes of Rishabh Pant, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer & Axar Patel in the middle and lower middle-order, the finishing power of DC is one of the finest. While Stoinis can play anywhere and Pant’s current form make him among the most dangerous finishers in the game, Hetmyer can build the innings and go hammer and tongs towards the end.
Weakness
Wicket-keeping options
Barring Pant there is no recognised Indian keeper in the side. While Vishnu Vinod is a viable option, but his finishing abilities are nowhere near Pant. New recruit Sam Billings is another option that is available but to bring in an overseas player, the entire composition of the team will have to be changed.
Lack of quality all-rounders
Axar Patel and Marcus Stoinis are the only 2 renowned IPL All-rounders DC have in their team. If any one of them were to get injured during the season they might have to depend on the likes of Lalit Yadav or Ripal Patel. Chris Woakes is another option they can turn too but he has been a no-show in the last couple of seasons.
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Opportunity
Opening Spot
DC is a squad who have no less than 4 openers in Dhawan, Shaw, Rahane, Smith. Stoinis as we know has done a great job opening the innings in the shortest form of the game. Looking at previous year’s performances, Dhawan will most probably keep his place but his partner’s place is up for grabs. Shaw will come into the side with a record-breaking Vijay Hazare trophy and will be eager to get his spot back. Smith has proven he can be as good as an opener in T20s.
Billings/Hetmyer
Both billings and Hetmyer fit the bill for the middle-order’s slot. While still untested in the IPL, Billings has shown glimpses of what he can do for England, Hetmyer too didn’t do his reputation any harm in the last season of IPL.
Threats
Injury List
Ishant Sharma, Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Umesh Yadav are all prone to injury. If both Ishant and Umesh were to be injured, the 3rd pacer syndrome will catch up once again to DC. An injury to Amit Mishra and Ravi Ashwin will leave Axar Patel alone like last season. Though they have youngsters like Meriwala, Siddharth and Pravin Dubey to call upon but they sure won’t be as impactful as the senior pros.