Delhi Daredevils are now Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab changed their name to Punjab Kings but it has made no difference to their tale in the Indian Premier League. Same goes for Royal Challengers Bangalore, one of the most popular franchises with one of the greatest batters ever as captain till last season. Fourteen years without a trophy can be burdensome for any franchise. There have been a few near-misses and RCB, Punjab Kings and Capitals have put on a
Delhi Daredevils are now Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab changed their name to Punjab Kings but it has made no difference to their tale in the Indian Premier League. Same goes for Royal Challengers Bangalore, one of the most popular franchises with one of the greatest batters ever as captain till last season. Fourteen years without a trophy can be burdensome for any franchise. There have been a few near-misses and RCB, Punjab Kings and Capitals have put on a brave face so far but deep down, it must hurt.
The lack of success has been surprising though. The way all three franchises had started in the first few editions, winning the IPL looked like a matter of time. In the inaugural edition, 2008, powered by their Australian recruit, Shaun Marsh’s (616 runs) fine form, Kings had been the side to beat and finished third. Delhi Daredevils made a promising start too—fourth in 2008 and third in 2009. RCB overcame a poor first season to finish second in 2009 and 2011. In 2010, they were third. Instead of building on their promising start, however, success eluded them. Every other side has won the title at least once.
A player who has been with all three franchises as a player or coach, said: “It all depends on the team formation that you make and you got to stick to those players. Daredevils had a fantastic set-up for the first three years where they played two semi-finals. If the franchise would have stuck to those players then things would have been different. You have to be consistent somewhere. The teams that lacked consistency faced problems rather than the others as you just keep plugging the holes. It’s all about the nucleus, it has to be the same.”
RCB’S CHANGE IN TEMPLATE
In their bid to break the jinx, RCB are looking to change their template of being overtly reliant on a few players for success. Having retained the core of the side in Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj, they are now looking at Faf du Plessis to provide a new direction. Dinesh Karthik, another IPL veteran, will be the wicketkeeper and batting as a finisher.
“It’s all about the players, rather than the team management, because the pace at which this T20 is played is so fast you don’t have time. You need to have a good leader, on the spot decisions are very crucial,” said the IPL veteran, who doesn’t want to be quoted since he is attached to a franchise.
There is an apparent weakness though, like has been the case for the past several years—RCB still lack a solid middle order Indian batter. And that means Kohli will have to play a big role if RCB are to go all the way. Despite losing their strike bowler in Yuzvendra Chahal, RCB have assembled a sharp, balanced bowling attack by spending big on Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga and Josh Hazlewood. Patel was highest wicket taker in 2021 and Hazlewood was instrumental in CSK’s title run. With Siraj’s pace and movement set to be a perfect foil to Patel’s guile and variations, this looks like an excellent bowling pack.
DELHI CAPITALS
Under coach Ricky Ponting, who took over in 2018, Delhi Capitals have made the play-offs in each of the last three editions. One of the major things Ponting achieved was creating a core of young players in Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Prithvi Shaw. With Iyer opting to go into the auction, Capitals have retained Pant, Shaw, Axar Patel and Nortje. “Since Ponting has come in there has been stability in the Delhi Capitals side and it’s showing in the results,” said the former DD player.
Capitals didn’t have their way in the auctions, and a lot of their key players were picked by other teams. The pace combination of Nortje, Kagiso Rabada and Avesh Khan was broken up but they still bought Shardul Thakur, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman, Lungi Agidi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Khaleel Ahmed to assist Nortje this time. Kuldeep Yadav will join Axar Patel, with Lalit Yadav and Praveen Dubey being the other options. Bolstered by the addition of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh, Capitals will be banking on their batting to make an impact again.
PUNJAB KINGS
It does not reflect well on a franchise when their top player doesn’t want to be retained. Punjab Kings’ effort to build their side around KL Rahul didn’t work out as their captain opted to move out to Lucknow Super Giants. Their lack of success means it’s difficult to convince players they want to retain. But, like Kings, RCB are also yet to win a title but never had an issue in convincing Kohli to stick with them. One of the biggest problems plaguing Punjab Kings has been the lack of a settled look over the years.
“As far as Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are concerned, they have played a lot of cricket together. Their players’ understanding of each other, understanding of the team’s system is very good. The moment you keep changing, every year you include five-six new players in the playing XI it becomes difficult, half your team is new. Then it takes another year for them to settle down. The players also feel insecure, they start playing for their places rather than thinking they have got to win games,” said the former player who spent a couple of seasons with Kings.
“They are one team, who over the years, have not done justice to their talent. The reasons, we don’t know. In T20 format, it is just that sometimes you need that element of luck,” former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said about PBKS on Star Sports recently.
This time Punjab Kings have roped in Shikhar Dhawan, Rabada, Jonny Bairstow and Rahul Chahar along with big hitters Shahrukh Khan and Liam Livingstone. Add the retained Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh and they already look formidable on paper.
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