The Delhi Capitals are yet to reach the final in IPL.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has moved to the UAE for the second time in its history. It will be the first full season in the country and three venues have been made available for the tournament.
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, and the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah will host a total of 60 IPL games from 19 September to 10 November.
Among the 8 participating teams are the Delhi Capitals (DC), who have never reached the finals of the tournament despite playing in all of the previous 12 editions of the IPL. Although they have had plenty of great cricketers play for their side, they have never looked as balanced side as now.
IPL 2020: Journey of Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL in numbers
IPL 2020 might be their season after some rigorous team building they have done in the previous editions. They showed a lot of promise in IPL 2019 and finished third with Shreyas Iyer leading a new-look and young side from the front. They are certainly the dark horses this season with a strong batting as well as bowling core.
The Capitals have strong openers in Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, and Prithvi Shaw; experienced middle-order batsmen in Shreyas Iyer, Marcus Stoinis, and Shimron Hetmyer; and able finishers in Rishabh Pant and Alex Carey.
In the bowling department as well, they have the likes of Amit Mishra and R Ashwin leading the spin attack and Kagiso Rabada as the leader of their pace attack. Therefore Team COC brings to you the five players who might help DC go all the way in IPL 2020.
Team COC brings to you the top 5 players who can help DC win IPL 13
SHIKHAR DHAWAN
The veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has switched a few IPL franchises before returning back to the Delhi side. He transferred from the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and joined the Delhi Capitals in 2019.
WATCH- Shikhar Dhawan loving the sound of bat on ball as he returns to batting practice
In 2018, he scored 497 runs in 16 games at a strike rate of 136.91. He recorded 4 half-centuries with a highest score of 92 not out. He then switched to DC and fared even better. He was expected to play second fiddle to the aggressive Prithvi Shaw but the youngster did not perform in as many matches as expected.
Hence, Dhawan took over him the mantle of scoring runs. He scored 521 runs in 16 innings which was the most for DC and fourth-most among all batsmen in the tournament. He scored all these runs at an average of 34.73 and at a strike rate of 135.67.
The 34-year-old has expressed his wish to go out in the middle and score big runs post the lockdown a number of times. He has been on the top of his game when it comes to fitness and a fresh mind would do wonders for the ever-smiling Shikhar Dhawan.
SHREYAS IYER
The Mumbai-born Shreyas Iyer has had a good couple of seasons for the Delhi Capitals. He was among the top run-getters for DC in the past two years and he cemented his place in the Indian limited-overs side on the back of his performances in IPL.
Iyer scored 411 runs in 14 games in IPL 2018 at a strike rate of 132.58. He scored 4 half-centuries and registered the highest score of 93 in the season. In 2019, he scored 463 runs in 16 innings at an average of over 30. His strike rate was looming in the late 110s and that was the only issue for him in the season.
IPL 2020: WATCH - DC skipper Shreyas Iyer calls for consistency from all his teammates during IPL 13
He might’ve scored faster if he had played more games at grounds with bouncy pitch and quick outfields like the Wankhede in Mumbai or the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. But that was not the case.
His form with the bat will be crucial as it will then reflect in his captaincy. A confident leader has the ability to make better and fearless decisions than a captain who lacks form and is hesitant to try out new strategies.
RISHABH PANT
Rishabh Pant could play a key role for DC in IPL 2020 and may well decide their fortunes in the tournament. Pant in IPL is a fearless batsman who strikes more often than not and is a dangerous customer in the death overs of an innings.
The left-hander has a rare ability to hit one delivery to different parts of the ground and that’s what makes him unpredictable and as a result lethal.
In 2018, he scored 684 runs in 14 innings at a whopping strike rate of 173.60. He scored a century and five half-centuries in the season and finished second on the list of highest run-getters in the tournament. The next year, his performance dipped a bit but was still well above par.
Rishabh Pant scored 488 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 162.66. He scored only 3 half-centuries in the season and finished as the second-highest run-getter of the tournament for DC.
The 22-year-old will be extremely crucial for the Capitals this year as well as they rely a lot on him in the death overs. He might be ably supported by two left-handers Alex Carey and Shimron Hetmyer in the hitting department, but Pant will have to take DC home on a few occasions.
KAGISO RABADA
The Capitals are expecting a prime performance from their South African speedster Kagiso Rabada in IPL 2020. He has 31 wickets in 18 innings as a fast bowler in Indian conditions which is quite an achievement.
Rabada missed out on the IPL in 2018 due to a lower back stress fracture. He made up for it with a stellar performance in 2019. He picked up 25 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 14.72 and an economy of 7.82.
IPL 2020: Kagiso Rabada intent on regaining rhythm at training after extended break
His strike rate of 11.28 cited that he picked up at least 2 wickets in a completed spell of 4 overs. He ended being the highest wicket-taker among pacers only behind the leggie Imran Tahir in the race for the Purple Cap.
The pacers like rest in between important tournaments but the COVID-19 break has turned out to be a really long break for someone like Rabada. He will soon be down to business and breaking stumps once the tourney begins.
AMIT MISHRA
Last but not the least, Amit Mishra is the second-highest wicket-taker in all IPL. He has picked 157 wickets in the first 12 editions of the tournament and needs only 14 wickets this season to go past Malinga’s 170 wickets record.
Mishra had a disappointing season in 2018 with just 12 wickets in 10 games. He did keep his economy down to 7.13 though. In 2019, he managed to get only 11 wickets in as many innings but his miserly spells kept the economy down to just 6.75.
Amit Mishra still hoping for a Indian team comeback
DC will be happy with the economy rates in both these seasons but will like the leggie to pick more wickets. Mishra himself will be looking forward to picking more wickets as the pitches in UAE will aid his type of bowling.