Delhi Capitals have always been a very power-packed side filled with some great overseas players and they have always built their core around their Indian International players who have never disappointed this franchise.
Just before the mega auction, they had a huge consortium of Indian players consisting of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel just to name a few. However, the IPL mega auctions have now disrupted this balance and they have had to part ways with many good players who have been doing the job for them. However, they have made some great additions to their squad as well. Make no mistake, this year Delhi has assembled a match-winning playing XI that can easily challenge for the IPL title.
pic source: twitter.com
Let us look at their expected playing XI and their strengths and squads of the Delhi Capitals -
- David Warner - He is an IPL great and perhaps one of the best overseas IPL players to have played in the competition. Scoring 400+ runs in a season is like a normal thing for him and he was perhaps the best buy in the auction for a steal buy of only worth 6.25 crores. He was the man of the tournament just a few months ago in the T20 world cup and he will be looking to make a statement in the IPL after what happened in the previous year.
- Prithvi Shaw - Prithvi Shaw is a young explosive batsman who can find boundaries at will. He is a very good stroke player who can find the gaps and play some eye-pleasing shots. He will be looking to make this a breakthrough season for him.
- Mitchell Marsh - No other player in world cricket has been in a better form than Mitchell Marsh over the last two years. He dominated the proceedings in the T20 world cup, he dominated the bowlers in the Big Bash as well and now he will be looking to extend his domination in the IPL as well. Expect him to come super good in this year’s IPL.
- Rishabh Pant (C&WK) - Pant has been one of the best players for the Delhi Capitals over the last few years. Maybe this is why they have retained him over Shreyas Iyer. He has been one of the better players for India as well. If he can continue the same form in the IPL, Delhi will be a team to be reckoned with.
- Sarfaraz Khan - He has been around for a while but he has not done much. However, if he can play like has been playing in the domestic circuit and striking the ball as cleanly as he has, this might just be his season.
- Rovman Powell - After what happened in the auction, Powell will be happy to find himself getting a huge paycheck after the bidding war his name orchestrated. However, with a heavy price tag, comes heavy responsibility. Will he be able to justify that? We certainly think he is a player who is quite capable of doing so.
- Axar Patel - He has someone who has been doing quite well at the International level and he is someone who will be looking to make sure that he plays like a senior player and helps his team around as and when needed both with the bat and the ball.
- Shardul Thakur - Shardul Thakur was one of the biggest names in this year’s mega auction who was sold for a hefty price. He has been a gun bowler for India across all formats and has been playing well with the bat too. Delhi has invested quite heavily in him and he will be looking to do justice to that price tag.
- Chetan Sakariya - After how well he bowled last season and how he became a key player for the Rajasthan Royals, Sakariya was picked by Delhi for his services. He is someone who can bowl at the start, middle overs, and also at the death and has a good bunch of tricks up his sleeve to go along with the express pace he bowls at.
- Kuldeep Yadav - Kuldeep Yadav is a bowler who has a lot of quality and someone who has been around and done some pretty great things. However, his form has dipped over the last couple of years and he will be looking to bounce back this season.
- Anrich Nortje - If your team lets a bowler like Kagiso Rabada go to keep you, you seriously have some big boots to fill. He has been doing well for Delhi for quite some time but he has been out of the game for a while due to injury. Will he be able to perform like we are used to seeing him? Only time will tell.
Delhi Capitals Squad IPL 2022:
Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin Hebbar, Abhishek Sharma, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, KS Bharat, Mandeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Chetan Sakariya, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Yash Dhull, Rovman Powell, Pravin Dubey, Lungi Ngidi, Vicky Ostwal, Sarfaraz Khan.
Delhi Capitals Playing 11 IPL 2022 (Suggested XI)
David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (C&WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Rovman Powell, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Chetan Sakariya, Kuldeep Yadav & Anrich Nortje