Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020: The dangerous COVID-19 disease has had a major impact on the sporting world which also includes the world’s grandest T20 league, IPL. The 2020 edition of the T20 extravaganza was supposed to get underway on 29th March however, BCCI has decided to postpone the tournament because of the disease. It is not known when the tournament will begin but it is being speculated that the 13th IPL season will begin somewhere around 20th April.
There are two main challenges facing BCCI at the moment. The first is how to fill crowds in the stadiums because ticket sales is a major part of their revenue but as COVID-19 is contagious in nature, the board does not want to put the spectators’ health at risk. The second problem is the availability of foreign players. Because of visa issues, the overseas stars may not be able to take part in IPL 2020.
Hence, in case the overseas players are not available then all the franchises will not be at their full strength. One franchise that would have the least impact of this development is Delhi Capitals. They have a strong pool of Indian players and here’s how they may lineup in IPL 2020 if the overseas players are not available.
Openers – Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan
Delhi Capitals would be the only team that would still face a conundrum if the overseas players are not available. Delhi has three top quality Indian openers namely Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan. But as Dhawan and Shaw have a better strike rate, Delhi may send them to play in the powerplay overs.
Middle Order – Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer (c) and Rishabh Pant (wk)
Rahane could back the two openers up at number three. The former Rajasthan Royals skipper has a solid batting technique so he can play the role of an anchor for the Capitals. Captain Shreyas Iyer will take the number four position as he even plays at the same number for team India while the upcoming Indian wicket-keeper batsman, Rishabh Pant will bat at number five for Delhi Capitals.
All-rounders – Harshal Patel and Lalit Yadav
For the fans who follow domestic cricket, Harshal Patel would not be a new name. Playing for Haryana, the all-rounder destroyed the top-class bowling attacks of Indian domestic teams while he even bowled some vital overs with the ball. He can be billed as the Chris Morris of India. Lalit Yadav does not have much experience however, he can gain experience playing in IPL 2020 and even he can emerge as a match-winner for the team.
Bowlers – Amit Mishra, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, and Ishant Sharma
Two of the best T20 spinners that India has produced, Amit Mishra and Ravichandran Ashwin will shoulder the spin bowling department of Delhi Capitals. Ashwin can keep a check on the runs flow while Mishra can pick wickets in the middle with his leg-spin bowling skills. Mohit Sharma would get a place in the playing XI as he is a former IPL Purple Cap winner whereas Ishant Sharma will lead the team’s pace bowling attack. Both the players have immense experience thus, Delhi Capitals will not face any issues if the overseas players are not available.
