As the anticipations of the extravagant Indian Premier League grows with every passing day, the speculations of various permutations and combinations surrounding different teams are doing intense rounds already.
From the count of batters to the number of bowlers in a side, the management is already raking their brains to find the perfect combination that would help them walk miles on the forthcoming waves of uncertainty. As we delve deeper than ever into sporting psychology, there will be loads of mismatches and contrasting opinions.
Hurling towards the beeline, let us quickly take a look at the strongest playing eleven for the Delhi Capitals.
Openers: Prithvi Shaw and David Warner
Delhi Capitals bagged an absolute steal at the auctions when they roped in David Warner, the Australian opener who has a glittering record in the Indian franchise extravaganza. From being the winner of the Orange Cap thrice to the man who almost single-handedly ushered Sunrisers Hyderabad to unscaled heights, Warner is an irrefutable stalwart of the game and would undoubtedly be the best pick for an opener.
Prithvi Shaw’s form in the international arcade has blown hot and cold but he is an absolute sensation in the shortest format of the game. The last couple of IPL seasons bore witness to the ferocity that the Delhi opener brought alongside Shikhar Dhawan. He is a fierce attacker of the ball and has been evolving himself over time.
Middle Order: Mandeep Singh, Rovman Powell, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur
Mandeep Singh is an experienced customer in the domestic circuit and an abled player of exotic strokes. He has been on the roster for a while and can play a steady anchor in the third position that allows a slick transition of the momentum from the top-order to the middle and the following hitters.
Rovman Powell gave a blistering showdown of his strength against India in a failed attempt to topple a formidable juggernaut in their backyard. However, the intensity with which Powell hammered around those strokes, it felt as if they were launched from his willow. A perfect T20 batter with some insane strength will always be an important pick for the top eleven.
The captain of the Delhi Capitals doesn’t need a separate introduction as he has been straddling across the international and the domestic circuit with equal pomp and vigour. He is a tremendous striker of the ball and very efficiently dispatches them to the rope. On top of that, he has already shown his ability to lead the team with a distinction that brought them close to the finals in the precursor edition of the tournament.
Axar Patel is an absolute knock-out on the Indian pitches. From spinning the ball like a spinaroonie to striking a couple of intense blows against the best of the bowlers, he ticks all the boxes that the most gruelling format of the sport demands from a cricketer. He is a fine spinner who can skit the ball along the surface, a decent batter and a very agile fielder.
Shardul Thakur played a couple of crucial knocks against the formidable South African expressmen. Despite his primary role being that of a bowler, he can be used as an important number 7 batter who adds value to the squad with impressive batting displays. He is also a decent medium-fast bowler who can produce some decent movement too.
Bowlers: Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya
Lungi Nigidi has been a feared speed demon in the context of the shortest format of the sport. A man whose arsenal drastically varies between the short balls and the toe-crushing yorkers, Ngidi can actually come up with belters in the powerplay and in the death overs.
Ngidi will be partnered by his national teammate, Anrich Nortje who rattled all the speed records in the IPL in the last couple of seasons. A man who can consistently bowl at 145 plus clicks has a tremendous knack for scalps and miserliness alike. With Rabada gone, Nortje will be Delhi’s primary bowling weapon.
Kuldeep Yadav didn’t get many chances in the last couple of seasons but he will be eyeing an important comeback. Given the turning tracks that the sub-continent has to offer, the chinaman will be hoping against hope that he can produce the rippers that he was known for at one point in time, that brought Australia down on its knees.
Chetan Sakariya was a crucial element of the bare minimum positives that Rajasthan could wring out in the preceding season. He is a decent fast bowler and a brilliant fielder. He mixes up his pace pretty decently and can wring out crucial wickets in the death overs. He played a spanner in the plans of several other teams as they failed to take flight once the game reached in the slog overs where the pyrotechnics are at a maximum.
