One of the eight original IPL franchises is the franchise with its headquarters in Delhi. The GMR Group and the JSW Group own the franchise together. Arun Jaitley Stadium, which is located in New Delhi, serves as the team’s home field. In IPL 2008, the team was formerly known as the Delhi Daredevils, but in December 2018, it decided to alter its name to Delhi Capitals (DC). The Delhi franchise got off to a good start in the first IPL season by making it to the Semi-final, but it has yet to take home a title ever since. Delhi Capitals have seen two of their greatest IPL seasons since 2018 thanks to the shift in ownership and identity.
Delhi finished third in 2019 and then made its first IPL final appearance in 2020 under the direction of Shreyas Iyer. The Caps, however, were unable to win the elusive IPL championship. Delhi has been the IPL franchise with the highest improvement over the past two years.
-AUCTION-
In the IPL 2022, the Delhi Capitals had yet another underwhelming season after failing to get to the playoffs. Rishabh Pant, the team’s newly designated captain, came under fire after some dubious choices cost them dearly at the tail end of the season. The Delhi-based franchise, which is currently vying for their first IPL championship, entered the IPL 2023 auction with a bankroll of INR 19.45 crore and five spots to fill.
Rilee Rossouw, a seasoned Protean batter, was signed by the Delhi Capitals for a whopping INR 4.6 crore. They traded pacer Aman Khan from Kolkata Knight Riders for Shardul Thakur, releasing four players in the IPL draft. They have one of the most reliable teams in the league, and with Ricky Ponting in charge, they will be another side looking to break its trophy drought in the following year.
Mercurial all-rounder Mitchell Marsh’s ankle injury forced him out of the current BBL and cast doubt on his participation in the IPL next season, dealing a serious blow to the Delhi-based team. For the explosive Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, they engaged in a fierce bidding battle with the Mumbai Indians. Mumbai, however, won with a winning bid of INR 17.5 crore.
But, after acquiring England’s hard-hitting Phil Salt for his basic price of INR 2 crore, they successfully performed a savvy piece of business. By acquiring Mukesh Kumar, an uncapped Indian pacer, for INR 5.5 crore, they made another outstanding acquisition. For the ODI series against South Africa earlier this year, the 29-year-old cricketer received his first call-up to the Indian team. During a bidding battle with Royal Challengers Bangalore, they reinforced their middle order by adding the seasoned Indian batter Manish Pandey.
Ishant Sharma, a senior Indian bowler who is also a local, was also added to the team after being acquired for INR 50 lakh. The Delhi Capitals have signed veteran Protean batter Rilee Rossouw, who wasn’t purchased in the previous round, for 4.6 crores.
-Delhi Capitals (DC) Full squad IPL 2023-
Rishabh Pant (c), David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Ripal Patel, Rovman Powell, Sarfaraz Khan, Yash Dhull, Mitchell Marsh, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Khaleel Ahmed, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Aman Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Praveen Dubey, Vicky Ostwal, Ishant Sharma, Phil Salt, Mukesh Kumar, Manish Pandey, Rilee Rossouw.
-Delhi Capital Analysis-
Strengths
The Delhi Capitals’ batting lineup, which includes David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh and Rilee Rossouw, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, and Rovman Powell, is perhaps one of the most explosive in the IPL.
Shaw is a promising young player with a naturally aggressive style of play, while Warner is one of the best T20 hitters of all time. Marsh is a good pace-hitter and adds experience to the table. Powell also had a successful season for DC the year before.
Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, a successful spin pair, are also available in Delhi. If the Kotla surfaces favor spinners throughout the tournament, they may cause chaos in home games.
Weaknesses
As a batsman and skipper in the T20 format, Rishabh Pant has had a forgettable year. He made little of an impression on the national squad and spent the duration of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on the sidelines. If DC is to capture their first IPL championship, he will need to play well.
The prospects for the Indian speed bowlers in Delhi are also not great. It will be challenging to accommodate both Rahman and Nortje. As a result, there will be possible room for two Indian fast bowlers in the starting 11, which the rival sides will undoubtedly try to exploit.
Opportunities
Prithvi Shaw has struggled with the national team despite having a strong IPL season. To get the selectors’ attention and give him a longer run in the format, the DC opener has to have a spectacular season.
Rilee Rossouw and Phil Salt may also benefit from this season. Even though they might not be in the starting lineup, they will be considered if players falter or become unavailable in the midst of the competition.
Threats
The Delhi Capitals’ last position in the batting order is 7, while Rovman Powell is their sixth bowler. This could limit the flexibility of their starting XI a little.
To prevent the franchise’s relative lack of depth from becoming a serious issue, they will need to hope that their specialists—both with the bat and the ball—step up in their respective positions.
