DC Playing 11 IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals are another of those teams who have stocked 25 players in their squad for IPL 2021.
Advertisement
It was for the first time in 13 years that Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Capitals finished as the runners-up in the IPL as defending champions Mumbai Indians beat them by 5 wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
In what was their best-ever IPL season, Capitals have followed it with a well thought-out auction which saw them buying eight players for a combined price of INR 11.25 crore.
The highlight of their auction lies in them bidding for fast bowlers such as Tom Curran and Umesh Yadav and overseas batsmen such as Steven Smith and Sam Billings. The presence of these players means that Capitals have tried and tested names who can be used as able replacements as and when required this season.
DC Playing 11 IPL 2021
Top-order
Since joining Delhi for a second stint, opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan is on a roll scoring 1,139 runs in 33 innings across two seasons at an average and strike rate of 39.28 and 140.44 respectively. Dhawan, who has also scored two centuries and nine half-centuries in this period, had registered his best-ever season with the bat in the UAE last year.
Prithvi Shaw, who had opened the innings alongside Dhawan in 13 matches but with minimal returns, should be able to regain his place at the top especially after a record-breaking Vijay Hazare Trophy season.
With captain Shreyas Iyer set to play his fourth season as a captain, Delhi Capitals have a sorted top-order with Ajinkya Rahane in the reserves to come in as a replacement (if required).
Shaw ’em what you’ve got, Prithvi 🔥
Drop a 💙 to wish the Mumbai skipper good luck for the #VijayHazareTrophy Final 🆚 UP tomorrow 🏏#YehHaiNayiDilli #MUMvUP @PrithviShaw pic.twitter.com/FAFnfPtuJY
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 13, 2021
Middle-order
Much like the last season, wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis will have to carry the burden of finishing innings for Capitals in IPL 2021 as well. Knowing what the two of them have done in the recent past, the opposition bowlers better prepare well to restrict them.
All-rounder Axar Patel, who most recently made his T20I comeback for India after more than three years, is another certainty in Delhi’s Playing XI. However, the team management will have to ponder about picking one out of Shimron Hetmyer or Sam Billings to assist the likes of Pant and Stoinis in the death overs.
Hetmyer might play in the season opener against Chennai Super Kings on April 10 but he is unlikely to get a 12-match rope in Billings’ presence. While Smith is more than worthy of earning the slot for an overseas batsman, it will be interesting to see if Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting opt to play Smith in the lower middle-order.
Bowlers
A primary reason why Delhi were so good in the last season was their South African fast bowling-pair of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. Having dismissed 30 and 22 batsmen respectively in IPL 2021, Rabada and Nortje would be hoping to put on display another awe-inspiring season for the Capitals.
In addition to Rabada and Nortje, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is another player who is an automatic pick for Iyer and Ponting. Capitals, who let go of Indian pacers such as Mohit Sharma, Harshal Patel and Tushar Deshpande earlier this year, have the likes of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Avesh Khan and Lukman Meriwala to fulfill the last spot of an Indian fast bowler.
DC Playing 11 IPL 2021 – 1) Shikhar Dhawan 2) Prithvi Shaw 3) Shreyas Iyer (c) 4) Rishabh Pant (wk) 5) Marcus Stoinis 6) Shimron Hetmyer 7) Axar Patel 8) Ravichandran Ashwin 9) Kagiso Rabada 10) Ishant Sharma / Umesh Yadav 11) Anrich Nortje
