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Having qualified for the playoff stages only once, Delhi Daredevils are one of most underperforming sides of the tournament.
The squad has a much-changed look this season. They have assembled one of the strongest sides of this tournament after retaining Chris Morris, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. Along with experience, they possess some exciting young talents as well.
With a fine blend of players, this can be the season where Delhi Daredevils go all the way to lift the coveted trophy of the IPL.
Franchise profile
Captain: Gautam Gambhir
Coach: Ricky Ponting
Squad: Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Chris Morris, Glenn Maxwell, Kagiso Rabada, Amit Mishra, Shahbaz Nadeem, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Gautam Gambhir (C), Trent Boult, Colin Munro, Daniel Christian, Jason Roy, Naman Ojha, Prithvi Shaw, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Avesh Khan, Abhishek Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Harshal Patel, Manjot Kalra, Sandeep Lamichhane, Sayan Ghosh.
Likely Playing XI: Gautam Gambhir, Colin Munro, Sheyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Glenn Maxwell, Naman Ojha, Chris Morris, Vijay Shankar, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad Shami
Key Players: Gautam Gambhir, Glenn Maxwell, Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris
Strengths
1) A strong playing XI: There likely playing XI hints at a stable T20 side. Experience of Gambhir, excitement of Munro, Pant and Maxwell alongside stability of Shreyas Iyer. They have good bowling allrounders in Chris Morris and Vijay Shankar as well.
Alongside them is the experienced triplet of Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada and Mohammad Shami. If their players play to potential, Delhi Daredevils can have a big IPL this time. Their think tank has made sure that a well-balanced squad is acquired. Now it is down to the players.
2) Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy: There are some players who are reminiscent to their franchise. Gambhir was one such player for the Kolkata Knight Riders. After KKR gave up on him, Delhi Daredevils pounced on this southpaw in January auction.
As he leads Delhi, Gambhir returns to his roots. Regarded as the best captain India never got, Gambhir will look to have same impact on Daredevils as he had on Knight Riders. Essentially it was Gambhir who stabilised the talented Kolkata squad and lead them to two IPL trophies in six years.
Gambhir’s captaincy is certain to be of the strengths of an already strong Daredevils side.
3) A deep squad: Some squad players who miss out from the likely playing XI maybe- Jason Roy, Trent Boult and Daniel Christian. Joining them are youngsters Prithvi Shaw, Manjot Kalra and experienced Jayant Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaaz Nadeem and Gurkeerat Singh Mann.
Delhi Daredevils have managed what Kolkata Knight Riders failed to do – have a possible replacement for players in their playing XI. Some of their bench players can walk into playing XIs of other IPL teams.
To sum up, it is never bad to have Trent Boult if Kagiso Rabada gets injured!
Weakness
1) Flamboyance over stability: Delhi Daredevils boast a talented batting line-up with Gambhir, Munro, Pant, Iyer, Maxwell and Ojha. The problem is that except Gambhir, none among them has showed an inclination to stabilise and anchor the innings.
Maxwell did it recently for Australia, but he has not lived up to his talent except IPL 2014. Every team in this IPL appears equally strong. If the team gets into a tricky chase, a stable, cool head may be required than the flamboyance of Delhi’s possible batting line-up.
2) Too much dependence on Chris Morris: Talent in their squad is undebatable, but Chris Morris looks like the only top class all-rounder in their side. Morris is an asset to any team he plays for.
However, he hasn’t enjoyed the best of form in recent months. While Vijay Shankar is talented, he is significantly young on this level of the game. If Morris underperforms or gets injured, the tournament may become more difficult for the Daredevils.
Opportunities
1) Vijay Shankar: A talented all-rounder, this IPL may be crucial for Vijay Shankar’s career. After strong performances in India’s domestic T20 tournament, Shankar got his India debut in Nidahas Trophy. While he shined with ball, his batting was a cause of concern.
In fact, his batting struggles could have costed India the tournament finals. As India searches for a second seamer allrounder with Hardik Pandya, IPL can be the tournament Vijay Shankar needs. He is a part of very strong Delhi Daredevils squad.
Consistent performances in this IPL can be helpful to cement his place in national team’s setup.
2) Glenn Maxwell: Glenn Maxwell is one of the most talented cricketers of his generation.
He is much better than his career T20 statistics. An explosive middle order batsman who can bowl handy spin, Maxwell hasn’t lived up to his expectations. After a good big bash, a fruitful tri series and appearing in Australia’s Test squad against South Africa, Maxwell comes into this IPL with high morale.
This can be the season where he lives up to his talent and justifies his hefty price tag. Playing under the coaching of Ricky Ponting can be a boon for this hard-hitting Australian.
3) Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant- Iyer and Pant are two of the most talented young cricketers in world cricket. While Pant is a livewire who can hit any bowler to boundary, Iyer is a technically sound batsman who can accelerate by will. Both have debuted for the national team in last 12 months.
India is looking to have different teams in different formats of the game. This, along with the likely retirement of M S Dhoni after 2019 world cup, uncertainty about Suresh Raina and India’s quest to find an ODI finisher makes this IPL more crucial for these youngsters.
A good tournament can bring them on the brink of a regular spot in Indian team.
4) Prithvi Shaw- Youngster Manjot Kalra scored an imperious century when India defeated Australia to lift the Under-19 world cup in January.
However, it is his captain Prithvi Shaw whose stock has increased the most through last year. Not only he was one of the breakout stars of India’s domestic cricket but also captained India to win the world cup. His technique is compared to Sachin Tendulkar.
Interestingly, like the great one himself, Shaw made ripples as a youngster in India’s school level cricket. Shaw’s career graph has been upward so far. If he gets opportunities and makes them count, he can reaffirm the position as India’s future superstar.
Threats
1) Mohammad Shami: One of the most technically gifted bowlers in world cricket, Mohammad Shami is going through one of the more difficult phases in his life.
This has put his IPL participation in a serious threat. Shami is a highly skilled cricketer who can be the difference maker for his teams. If he misses out on IPL, Delhi Daredevils will lose an elite Indian bowler unsettling their strong line-up.
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