IPL 2022, Delhi Capitals squad, fixtures & more: Can Rishabh Pant and Co bag the elusive title?

Delhi Capitals have been one of the most consistent teams in the Indian Premier League over the last few years but a first title has eluded them. They reached the playoffs in the last three seasons, even making it to the final in 2020, and will be determined to go all the way this time around.

At the mega auction, Delhi missed out on pacers Kagiso Rabada and Avesh Khan, who served the franchise well over the years, but bolstered their squad by adding David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Shardul Thakur. With skipper Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel and Anrich Nortje already retained, DC coach Ricky Ponting once again has a formidable group of players to work with.

History at the tournament

Squad

Delhi Capitals have a number of player availability concerns heading into the tournament, with Australia’s David Warner and Mitchell Marsh set to miss the first week. South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi and Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman will miss the team’s opener because of the ongoing ODI series. South African pacer Anrich Nortje, meanwhile, joined the squad late and is set to miss the first few games.

IPL Auction 2022, Delhi Capitals review: Possible best XI, strengths and weaknesses

Full squad: Rishabh Pant (c), Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin Hebbar, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, KS Bharat, Mandeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Chetan Sakariya, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Yash Dhull, Rovman Powell, Praveen Dubey, Lungi Ngidi, Vicky Ostwal, Tim Seifert, Sarfaraz Khan.

Most Valuable Player

Warner is an IPL legend and can always be counted on. Shaw can be devastating at the top. Marsh was the star of Australia’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign last year. Axar is the premier spinner in the squad. Thakur brings great all-round value to the side. Nortje is one of the most fearsome quicks. But it has to be skipper Pant who could be the talisman at Delhi this season. He has a considerable amount of captaincy experience now and his batting is growing from strength to strength. If the 24-year-old is at the top of his game, DC will be strong contenders for the playoffs.

Uncapped Indian to watch out for

Delhi have in their ranks two of the brightest talents to emerge from India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign earlier this year. Yash Dhull, who led that Indian team to the title, scored a century against Australia in the World Cup semifinal and carried forward that form with twin centuries on his Ranji Trophy debut and backed that up with an unbeaten double century in his third first-class game.

The Capitals have a world class left-arm spinner in Axar Patel but young Vicky Ostwal, who was part of the Dhull-led team that won the Under-19 World Cup, will be a solid back-up option in the squad. The 19-year-old was India’s highest wicket-taker at the World Cup and bowls with a wonderful blend of accuracy and variations.

Quotes corner

DC coach Ponting: “We’ve been working exceptionally hard on making sure that the guys that are here are ready for their first challenge. I believe we have good depth in our squad. Yes, we are missing some overseas players for the first couple of games, but that’s no worry for us.”

DC captain Pant: “I have not thought about my personal goals. We are just focusing on the team’s needs and that is the most important thing for us in the Delhi Capitals. It’s always exciting to have new players in our team, but we are continuing to follow the same process we have been following in the last few years.”

Fixtures

Delhi will start and finish their league stage with matches against Mumbai.

Teams to play twice: MI, KKR, RR, LSG, PBKS
Teams to play once: CSK, SRH, RCB, GT