Delhi Capitals are under the new leadership in IPL 2021 in the form of Rishabh Pant and they will be hoping to end their title wait.
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Even before IPL 2021, Delhi Capitals made a massive impression in world cricket. Ajinkya Rahane captained India to a series win in Australia. Rishabh Pant enhanced his reputation as the best keeper India has. R Ashwin and Axar Patel spun a web around England that helped them seal the ICC World Test Championship final. In the first three months of 2021, four Delhi Capitals players have made a massive impression in world cricket.
The appointment of Pant as the captain of Delhi Capitals is a step up in channeling his aggression and passion in the right sense. With steady heads like Ashwin and Rahane in the line-up, along with Steve Smith, Pant has the personnel. Delhi Capitals in 2019 and 2020 have been breaking new ground. In IPL 2021, they will be aiming to go one step ahead.
In IPL 2019, they reached Qualifier 2. They reached the final in IPL 2020. This is a far cry from the Delhi Daredevils unit that regularly failed in the IPL playoffs. Under Pant and his renewed confidence, Delhi Capitals will be aiming to go the whole distance and try to win an IPL title for the first time.
Plenty of firepower: Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer. The batting is solid. Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ashwin and Axar make up the bowling, which is potent. With class in the line-up, teams will have to battle really hard to beat the Delhi Capitals.
Players in form: Smith was in great form in the ODIs against India. Ashwin and Axar were superb against England. Pant has been magnificent. The likes of Rabada and Nortje have been proven performers for Delhi Capitals. With many players in great form, Delhi Capitals have momentum.
No solid No.3: The absence of Shreyas Iyer due to a shoulder injury has robbed Delhi Capitals of stability in the middle order. Iyer could switch between aggression and caution brilliantly. In his absence, Rahane, who has not had a good IPL record in the last couple of seasons, might have to step up.
IPL 2021 provides Delhi Capitals the opportunity to have stability in both the batting and bowling. With Pant at the helm, the opportunities are endless. Delhi Capitals can play with aggression and pull off victories in crunch situations.
Inconsistency: For a long time, Delhi Capitals have been plagued by inconsistency. They start off well but have a lean patch at the end. This almost cost them in 2020. Delhi Capitals need to be consistent if they have to win the title.
Injuries: In IPL 2020, the injuries to Ashwin and Amit Mishra did hurt them in the initial stages. Even Pant suffered a injury that robbed them off momentum. Delhi Capitals would be hoping that their key players do not suffer any injuries.
Manimaran Siddharth: The left-arm orthodox bowler had a good run for Tamil Nadu in Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare. Despite the limited opportunities, Siddharth did impress. On the slow pitches in Delhi, Siddharth might be a good option for Delhi Capitals.
Lukman Meriwala: Another left arm bowler but with pace. Meriwala was one of the key factors behind Baroda’s sensational Syed Mushtaq Ali title. With an economy rate of 6.72, Meriwala has tremendous utility and can be a vital cog for Delhi Capitals.
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant , Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddarth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings
