After reaching the playoffs for three consecutive seasons in 2019, 2020 (final), and 2021, the Delhi Capitals failed to finish in the top 4 in IPL 2022. In fact, they needed to win their last league game to go to number 4, but couldn’t defeat the bottom-placed Mumbai Indians.
The Capitals had 7 wins in 7 matches in IPL 2022. Ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, the Ricky Ponting-coached and Rishabh Pant-captained franchise has released only 5 players, which including their expensive 10-crore buy Shardul Thakur, who has been traded to KKR. The other four released players weren’t part of DC’s regular XI and hence their XI is pretty much set from last season and will look similar next year.
Delhi Capitals players released: Tim Seifert, Shardul Thakur (traded), Mandeep Singh, KS Bharat, Ashwin Hebbar
Here is Delhi Capitals’ (DC) best XI from the retained players:
David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (c&wk), Sarfaraz Khan/Lalit Yadav, Rovman Powell, Axar Patel, Chetan Sakariya, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed.
This above XI from the retained players bores a similar outlook as it did in DC’s last league game against MI. The only difference here is that Shardul Thakur played in that game, and here we have included left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya. This eleven looks slightly lighter in batting length and has a long-ish tail with the four bowlers after Axar.
Warner, Shaw, and Marsh form a fearsome top trio – perhaps the most destructive one in all 10 teams. Last season both the DC openers had a strike of over 150 and Marsh had 132. Rishabh Pant, had a strike rate of 151 last season but his average of 30 meant fans was left wanting more.
One of Sarfaraz Khan or Lalit Yadav slots in the middle-order; the former has been in terrific domestic cricket form but the latter provides a handy off-spin option.
Rovman Powell is DC’s finisher (strike rate of 235 in death overs last season), and so is Axar Patel (strike rate of 194 in death overs in IPL 2022); Axar managed only 6 wickets but kept a tight economy of 7.46. Kuldeep Yadav was back to conjuring magic and snapped up 21 wickets last season.
Delhi Capitals have a strong pace bowling unit with Nortje, who missed many matches last season due to injury, Mustafizur, who has regained his lost form, and wickets as a T20 bowler, along with Sakariya, who is a potent threat with the new ball, and Khaleel, who took 16 wickets last season and could soon be back into India reckoning.
In their squad, DC also has the lanky South African speedster Lungi Ngidi and young Indian fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti.
Delhi Capitals (DC) retained players:
Rishabh Pant (c), Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dhull, Praveen Dubey, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Mitchell Marsh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vicky Ostwal, Axar Patel, Ripal Patel, Rovman Powell, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Kuldeep Yadav, Lalit Yadav
