Delhi Capitals holds an infamous record till date of the only team to have never reached the finals of the Indian Premier League. The team did always have a good line-up and players with good potential, but have never managed to reach the end line. Capitals did show some promise in the last season and felt just short of reaching the play-offs and this time around they will be surely looking forward to rewriting the history.
The team did look good under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, though his inexperience with captaincy was exposed in some places. He definitely would be a more matured captain now and with the likes of experienced players like Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant in the team. They would be definitely strong contenders for the title.
With the Indian Premier League to be conducted outside of India only for the second time in the history of the tournament. Cricwizz, takes a look at the 5 Delhi Capital players to watch out for in this season of IPL.
1. Ravichandran Ashwin
The 33-year old off-spinner needs no introduction as he is one of the faces of IPL ever since the debut of the league. He was with the Chennai Super kings for almost seven years and later moved to Kings Xl Punjab and led the team for two years. Delhi Capitals would be excited to have the contribution of the classy off-spinner. Though, his form with the white-ball has not been on the brighter side, especially with very less number of games to his name in the last few months as he is seen more of a test cricketer by the Indian team and uses him less in the limited- overs games.
Ashwin in his recent statement revealed that he was raring to go after the long break and was ready to take on the field. The all-rounder has played 139 matches in the IPL and claimed 125 wickets at an excellent strike-rate of 23 and economy of 6.50. He has best figures of 4/34 to his name.
2. Shimron Hetmyer
Shimron Hetmyer was a hot property in the 2019 IPL auctions. The in-form West Indian was the talk of the town after his swashbuckling century against India. After the franchises drooling over the batsman, he was eventually bagged by Delhi Capitals for a whopping 7.5 crs. It's no doubt he is worth his price tag and the Delhi Capitals will love to have him abroad. With Capitals desperate for someone to join Rishabh Pant in the middle order. Will Hetmyer be the answer?
The 23 year-old was part of the RCB and has only 5 games to his name. Though, he isn't much exposed to the IPL, he does have decent international games to his name. In the 5 games Hetmyer has played he has a high score of 75 and maintains a strike-rate of 123.
3. Kagiso Rabada
The sensational South African pacer was all over the headlines in the last IPL after he ended up the second highest wicket-taker in the league only one wicket behind the purple cap winner Imran Tahir. But, what is intriguing is that The 25-year old played five matches less than the CSK spinner due to a back injury. It would be a different story if the pacer played a few more matches. If he can repeat the feat again in this season or even somewhere close to it, the opposition teams could have a difficult time in playing him off as he would be spearheading the bowling for Delhi Capitals.
The Right-arm bowler has played 18 matches in the IPL and has 31 wickets in his bag at an Jaw-dropping strike-rate of 13.
4. Rishabh Pant
It wouldn't be wrong to say that the youngster is turning out to be the face of the franchise. He has been part of the franchise ever since he made his IPL debut and is continuing to deliver with full potential. Lot will revolve around the left-hander if the Capitals are to make it anywhere in the playoffs. Though, he has been having a roller-coaster of a career so far. The Capitals would be hoping he stays consistent throughout. The 22-year old is already compared to the greats and is expected to take the place.
The Wicket-keeper Batsman has played 54 matches in the IPL and scored 1736 runs at an average of 36.17 and extraordinary strike-rate of 163. His strike-rate of 163 is the fourth highest in the league. Pant has 11 half-centuries and 1 century, with a high score of 128 to his name.
5. Sandeep Lamichhane
The only Nepalese to play the tournament, Sandeep Lamicchane has made a name for himself already in the grand stage. The 20-year old was bagged by the Capitals in the 2018 auctions and ever since has been part of the franchise. Though Lamichhane has not played enough matches due to the team already having front-line spinners, Capitals would be looking to use him more than often this season as the pitch would be in favor for the leggie.
The Right-arm bowler has played 9 matches in the Indian Premier League and picked up 13 wickets at an excellent strike-rate of 16.
Cover Credits: SportsWiki
