The journey of the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League has been a one to forget. In its 10-year history, they have never won the title. They started off brilliantly by reaching the semi-finals in the first two years. However, after that it has been a downward spiral. They have remained in the league stage seven times and reached the playoffs only once in 2012.
However, Delhi started off brilliantly at the IPL auction this year. While most of the other teams made sure they retained their experienced core members, Delhi decided to hold back young talent such as Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, who are yet to find a regular place in the national squad. By also bagging India Under-19 captain Prithvi Shaw, they have cemented the point that they are looking at the future.
It’s not like the Daredevils squad has only youth. By bringing in Gautam Gambhir, who has won the title twice with Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi made sure they have an experienced campaigner to lead and build a team that can win the title multiple times in years to come. Plus, by retaining Mohammad Shami and Kagiso Rababa they have made sure that their bowling lineup has the talent to bamboozle the top batsmen in the league.
Here is how the Daredevils squad looks:
Squad breakdown
Total players: 25
Overseas players: 8
Batsmen: Shreyas Iyer, Gautam Gambhir, Colin Munro (o), Prithvi Shaw, Jason Roy (o), Manjot Kalra,
Wicket-keepers: Naman Ojha, Rishabh Pant
All-rounders: Glenn Maxwell (o), Chris Morris (o), Abhishek Sharma, Harshal Patel, Rahul Tweatia, Jayant Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Daniel Christian (o), Gurkeerat Singh Mann
Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada (o), Amit Mishra, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohammad Shami, Trent Boult (o), Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane (o), Sayan Ghosh
Support staff: Head coach: Ricky Ponting, bowling coach: James Hopes, fielding coach: Subhadeep Ghosh, assistant coaches: Pravin Amre and Sridharan Sriram.
(o): Overseas player
Strengths
Delhi have a solid batting unit in place with Gambhir, Roy, Iyer and Pant leading the way. They look solid at the top. In Pant, they also have a good wicketkeeper. Delhi are relying heavily on their power-hitters in the top order to put up big scores on the board. With Maxwell, Shankar and Morris comprising the middle order, they have all-rounders who can also be match winners on their day.
The team will rely on their foreign players Roy and Maxwell to explode with the bat while their Indian players anchor the innings at any given point of time. However, in Iyer and Pant they have got reinforcements if the foreigners fail.
With Gambhir in all probability leading the side and Ponting as coach, Delhi have World Cup winning players guiding a young and title hungry outfit to say the least.
Weaknesses
Even though Delhi have world No 1 Rabada and India pacer Shami in their ranks, the bowling department seems to be an area of concern. The duo do not have great T20 records. Rabada has 22 wickets in 16 T20I games while Shami has eight wickets in seven games. Death bowling will also be an issue for the team.
In Amit Mishra and Shahbaz Nadeem, Delhi have a quality spin attack to cause serious damage. However, their domestic form off late will be a cause of worry.
Trent Boult will be on the bench in all likelihood considering the fact that Roy, Maxwell, Morris and Rabada will be their foreign picks to take the field. Aveesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane and Sayan Ghosh will look to be groomed for the future and hence a game in the upcoming season looks difficult.
Another area of concern for Delhi will be getting their batting order in place. They will once again try and test different combinations to decide who will open the innings, which can hurt the likes of Maxwell and Iyer.
Ideal playing XI
Gautam Gambhir (c), Jason Roy (o), Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant (wk), Glenn Maxwell (o), Vijay Shankar, Chris Morris (o), Kagiso Rabada (o), Mohammad Shami, Shahbaz Nadeem.
Prediction for IPL 11
Considering they are a new team and will need time to function as a unit, it is unlikely that they will win the title. However, if they get their act together from the word go, a place in the final or at least a play-off berth is a guarantee.