It could be unfair to term Delhi Capitals as boring, but honestly, this is not the franchise that fires fierce fan loyalty or any such passions in the Indian Premier League. Always a little bit of a corporate baby with conservative approaches to most things in life, Delhi Capitals (DC), this time around, have put a potential cat among the pigeons with coach Ricky Ponting wagging a finger at ‘Mankad' star Ravichandran Ashwin, saying something to the effect of “not on my turf”. The veteran Ashwin, a self-proclaimed serial ‘Mankad' artist, also said something to the effect of “we'll see”. The two had a much-publicised video conversation on this but nothing was really resolved.
That could well be the masala that DC need to add some punch to their otherwise rather staid approach. Never the front-runners in the race for the title, Delhi Capitals would be hoping for more than just words when the action starts.
Key players:
Rishabh Pant
With MS Dhoni now out of international competitions, Pant will be the automatic choice for skipper Virat Kohli, so it could well also be an opportunity for the left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman to revalidate his credentials ahead of the series to come, beginning with Australia. IPL 2020 will be a test for Pant in more senses than one.
IPL Record:
Matches: 54
Runs: 1736
Highest: 128 not out
Centuries: 1
Strike rate: 162.69
Catches: 33
Stumpings: 11
Shreyas Iyer
The Delhi Capitals captain is not the senior-most player in the squad. Nor is he the most high-profile. So, he has to lead by example if DC have to make any headway in the tournament. With the flat tracks of the UAE making run-scoring the real job, top-order batsmen like Iyer have to really come good.
IPL Record:
Matches: 62
Runs: 1681
Highest: 96
Strike rate: 126.96
Catches: 22
Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan's IPL record is quite interesting. He has close to 160 matches, batting in the top order most of the time, and has yet to reach triple figures even once. But his experience can be critical in the DC scheme of things, although it would take some convincing to assume that he will carry them through all the way.
IPL Record:
Matches: 159
Runs: 4579
Highest: 97 not out
Strike rate: 124.80
Catches: 89
Ravichandran Ashwin
If Ravichandran Ashwin is half as effective with his bowling as he has been on social media, Delhi Capitals will be a team to watch. The offie, apart from his interesting little dialogue with coach Ricky Ponting, will be entrusted to lead the bowling on some unhelpful tracks. It could be an interesting watch.
IPL Record
Matches: 139
Wickets: 125
Best: 4/34
4W/inn: 1
Strike rate: 23.39
Catches: 32
Marcus Stoinis
In a format where the all-rounder is worth his weight in gold, Marcus Stoinis could be all of that for DC. While the Australians in IPL 2020 will miss out on the action in the first few days, Stoinis could see action when the stakes are really high and he could make a telling difference.
IPL Record:
Matches: 29
Runs: 473
Highest: 52
Strike rate: 129.94
Catches: 7
Wickets: 15
Best: 4/15
4W/inn: 1
Strike rate: 24.46
Other members of the squad: Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Prithvi Shaw, Sandeep Lamichhane, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer, Mohit Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Lalith Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Daniel Sams
Note: All stats courtesy iplt20.com