Probable Delhi Capitals Playing XI for IPL 2020

2019 was a good year for the Delhi Capitals (DC). A change in name brought some change in fortunes as well. They finished third on the points table and lost in the second qualifier to finish third overall. It was the first time in seven years that Delhi made it to the top four. In the auction for IPL 2020 this time, they bought eight players and strengthened their squad. Shimron Hetmyer was bought for a sum of INR 7.75 crore. That was the only big buy where Delhi broke the bank. However, they did manage to get some quality players in all departments. Anrich Nortje, Daniel Sams, Marcus Stoinis and Alex Carey will be playing for Delhi Capitals for the first time. So let’s take a look at what the Delhi Capitals Playing XI for IPL 2020 would look like after these acquisitions.

Probable Delhi Capitals Playing XI for IPL 2020

Prithvi Shaw:

Delhi are going to have a tough time managing their top-order. They have quite a few players who can bat at the top of the order and at the same time, command a place in the starting XI. With Ajinkya Rahane in the team, it would be interesting to see, how the combination of the DC goes. Shaw might just start ahead of Rahane given his recent exploits in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Also, his attacking instincts might be backed as well.

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Shikhar Dhawan

Despite the presence of many openers vying for vacant spots, Shikhar Dhawan is also a certainty in this line-up. He’s done well at the top of the order over the last two years. The left-handed opener has scored 496 and 521 runs in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Hence, he will be the premier Indian batsman at the top for DC.

Shreyas Iyer (c)

Ever since Shreyas Iyer took over captaincy of the Delhi Capitals, things have started to get different. The Mumbai-born cricketer has also scored 400+ in the last couple of years. Batting largely at 3 and 4, Iyer will play a similar role to that he plays for India.

Rishabh Pant

So far, Pant has flattered to deceive in international cricket. However, Pant has had a couple of excellent IPL seasons where he’s got runs against almost all teams. His strike-rate is more than 160 and has been the game-changer in the middle. In 2018, Pant made 684 runs while he’s scored 488 runs this year. The Delhi wicket-keeper batsman will once again be the enforcer in the middle.

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Shimron Hetmyer

Hetmyer was a big disappointment last IPL season and it was only after the IPL, his slide began. But he seems to have regained some form and is looking good. Delhi paid INR 7.75 crore to avail the services of Hetmyer. The West Indian left-hander will bat in the middle and along with Pant, gives this batting line-up a strong look.

Marcus Stoinis

It was slightly surprising that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) released Stoinis. He scored 211 runs at an average of 52.75 and had a strike-rate of 135.26. But Delhi made use of the opportunity to buy him in the auction this time around. With a top-heavy side, Delhi have added some firepower in the middle as well and Stoinis is one among them.

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Keemo Paul

It may well be a toss-up between Keemo Paul and Chris Woakes for this spot. Woakes last played the IPL in the early stages of the 2018 season while Paul played eight games for Delhi Capitals and took nine wickets. He can bowl well at the death and that may prove to be a big factor.

Axar Patel

With the firepower Delhi have added in this auction, Axar might have to drop down the batting order. The left-hander has the ability to tonk the ball a long way. Last season was Axar’s first with Delhi in the IPL. He fared decently as he picked up 10 wickets and kept it pretty tight.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin may have perhaps been the biggest name to be traded in the IPL trading window. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner didn’t really have fruitful returns with KXIP as he got just 25 wickets from 28 games. However, the pitches in UAE might assist Ashwin and he will be the lead spinner for DC.

Kagiso Rabada

One of the reasons for DC’s success last season was Kagiso Rabada. The ace South African pacer had a brilliant season with the ball. He played just 12 matches and took 25 wickets which is the second-most in that season. He was also striking once in less than two years.

Ishant Sharma

In early 2018, Ishant Sharma’s white-ball career was nearly over when he went unsold in that auction. However, the lanky pacer from Delhi was very good with the new ball as he constantly picked wickets. Ishant picked up 13 wickets in as many matches. He will be the leader of the attack along with Rabada.

Full Squad: Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Mohit Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, R Ashwin, Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Sams, Rishabh Pant, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande