Delhi Capitals (DC) are gearing up for the Indian Premier League 2024 as they welcome back captain Rishabh Pant to the team. Pant suffered a near-fatal road accident at the end of 2022 that kept him out of action for over a year, but he is now eager to return to the team and lead the charge from the front.
Last year, the David Warner-led DC team struggled in IPL 2023 and finished ninth with 5 wins and 9 losses. The last time Delhi came close to IPL glory was in 2020 when they suffered a heartbreaking 5-wicket loss in the final against Mumbai Indians.
According to the two-week schedule released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Delhi Capitals will take on Kings XI Punjab on March 23 at the new Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mullanpur in the first match of the 2024 IPL between the two teams. .
During the IPL mini-auction in December 2023, Delhi Capitals bought Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs, Shai Hope, Jhye Richardson, Kumar Kushagra, Sumit Kumar, Ricky Bhui, Rasikh Dar, Swastik Chikara.
Additionally, retained players such as David Warner, Anrich Nortje, Axar Patel, Mitchell Marsh, Kuldeep Yadav, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and Ishant Sharma are hoping to feature in IPL 2024 after their collective poor performance last season. High quality performance.
The Capitals have experienced players and promising youngsters who have the potential to put in a strong performance in IPL 2024. However, they also face challenges that will test their resolve and here we look at their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats ahead of the new season.
Advantage
Rishabh Pant will return to Delhi Capitals after returning to fitness. He has scored 2,838 runs in 98 IPL games and has an impressive strike rate of 147.97. A powerful batsman, DC will surely look forward to their title chances if Pant can deliver his best form in IPL 2024.
Delhi’s two top batsmen, David Warner and Prithvi Shaw, are not to be underestimated either. Warner performed well in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, helping Australia lift the trophy. The Australia opener, who has scored a whopping 535 runs in 11 games, will be keen to build on his 516 runs in 14 games in the last Indian Premier League season in IPL 2024.
Shaw, like his opening partner Warner, is also a destructive batsman. However, he did not enjoy the best of performances in the last IPL and will be looking to make up for it in the new season after some stellar performances in English county cricket and the domestic circuit in India over the past year.
Apart from a fiery batting line-up, DC also has two excellent Indian international spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. The spin duo were unstoppable at times and took a huge number of wickets in all formats of the game. Their form will be key to Delhi’s success in the upcoming season.
DC’s fast bowlers are not exactly pushovers either. Mitchell Marsh with Anrich Nortje, Jhye Richardson, Mukesh Kumar, Khalil Ahmed Khaleel Ahmed and Ishant Sharma together form a pace bowling unit that has the versatility and cunning to trouble the opposition batsmen.
weakness
Apart from Marsh and Axar Patel, Delhi’s lack of quality all-rounders is worrying. Over-reliance on the likes of Marsh and Axar Patel could prove costly if the all-round duo of Marsh and Axar Patel fails to make headway in IPL 2024.
Meanwhile, Prithvi Shaw is another player who is heavily relied upon. To put it mildly, his performances in Delhi over the past few IPL seasons have not been the best.
Shaw even sat on the bench in IPL 2023 as he managed only 106 runs in the entire season. His form combined with D.C.’s limited options across the board are some questionable areas that the team from the nation’s capital must look to overcome.
Chance
England star Harry Brook will be keen to make an impact at Delhi Capitals after making his debut with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year. Brooke became the first centurion when he scored a huge mark for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2023.
Brooke is widely regarded as one of the most destructive batsmen in the T20 format and he is eager to make a mark for DC with his power-hitting in the middle order.
IPL 2024 could also be the year for Indian fast bowlers to prove themselves ahead of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20I World Cup. Players like Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar in particular will be heading into the new season hoping to put in top performances that will see their names included in the squad for the 6 In the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup in March.
threaten
One of the major threats facing Delhi Capitals could be their over-reliance on the injury-prone Anrich Nortje, who has struggled with fitness issues of late and has been sidelined for the past year.
He didn’t even make it into South Africa’s squad for the ICC World Cup 2023 and since he is one of DC’s biggest pace weapons, his absence will undoubtedly prove to be a major setback for Delhi.
Likewise, Pant himself is recovering from a long-term injury following an accident in late 2022. His performance with the bat, as well as his overall health, are worth keeping a close eye on, as it’s not always easy to immediately find one’s old rhythm on the field after being sidelined for an extended period due to injury.
Possible matches twelve:
Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (centre-back), Harry Brook, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dhull (attacker)
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