Without Rishabh Pant, the Delhi Capitals would lack the usual “fear factor,” significantly lowering their chances in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Ricky Ponting-led squad may struggle in its April 1 opener against the Lucknow Super Giants because to a dearth of high-caliber Indian pacers.

While the success of Mitchell Marsh and Kuldeep Yadav will lift DC’s spirits, the team’s inability to locate a suitable Indian substitute for Pant will undoubtedly keep the think tank up at night. Some of Delhi Capitals veteran players aren’t up to snuff in terms of being an X-factor with bat or ball, thus the ‘Impact Player’ criteria could work against them. DC’s success is more likely to be tied to their four international players than to the Indian talent already on hand.

David Warner has hardly had a bad season since he began playing IPL, with the exception of the year he had a dispute with the Sunrisers Hyderabad organisation. With an average speed of 150 clicks, Anrich Nortje is one of the scariest pacers in the game of cricket. Yet, hitters may be able to exploit his pace on smaller grounds.

During the media conference, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting made it clear that he cannot “joke” or “gloss over” the reality that Rishabh Pant is irreplaceable in this set-up as a No. 4 batter and also a leader.

Because no one could have foreseen such a terrible disaster befalling the world’s best wicketkeeper-batsman, Delhi Capitals now finds themselves without a second wicketkeeper to fill in for Pant.

With a solid record in the limited cricket he has played in the subcontinent, DC’s roster includes Phill Salt, a highly valuable T20 cricketer (Pakistan). Nevertheless, if Delhi Capitals hires a keeper from abroad, they won’t have the option to include a foreign bowling specialist in the playing Eleven.

In order to play a foreign bowler like Mustafizur Rahaman, who is outstanding at the end of a game, it is crucial that keepers like Barinder Vivek Singh or Luvnith Sisiodia perform well in trials.

This season could prove to be a crucible for Prithvi Shaw, who has been a sensation since he captained the India U-19 team five summers ago, but has had a string of unfavourable press ever since. Shaw, who is tremendously skilled, would love to make the most of the opportunity presented by his contemporaries’ success on the senior team. Ponting thinks his charge is putting in sufficient effort, and he has noticed a newfound enthusiasm on his part. Shaw’s redemption arc may begin this year.

When it comes to Indian players, pace bowling is an area where Delhi Capitals is severely lacking. With the departures of pace and seam bowlers Avesh Khan to LSG and Shardul Thakur to KKR, DC will have to rely on Nortje and Mustafizur.

Khaleel Ahmed, who is recovering from surgery, hasn’t done much to win people over, while Ishant Sharma has seen his finest days as a cricketer behind him. Other teams will interpret the ‘Impact Player’ rule in different ways, but DC simply does not have enough players with X-factor.

It would be impossible to keep veteran Ishant on the pitch for more than eight overs and let him bowl his quota of four overs, thus he may be utilised as a super-sub. Anyone who have witnessed Ishant in training can attest that his speed and fitness levels are well below par. Not getting enough practise in at home is to blame.

Aman Hakim Khan, a Mumbai native who has had limited success in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), has impressed Ponting. Even though his economy rate is only 8.15, Mumbai has opened with him and Shaw and used him as a pinch-hitting floater in SMAT. Yet, the position and the demands of the IPL will be different in Delhi Capitals.

DC’s greatest strength is the presence of three foreigners who are capable of winning games single-handedly. Delhi Capitals will bet big on Mitchell Marsh’s power-hitting in the top three spots and his potential to be the powerplay enforcer. It would be ideal if he could sneak in an over or two.