Denzil Fernandes
Abu Dhabi, Oct 15: Unless the unthinkable happens, young and vibrant Delhi Capitals (DC) look well set to lift its maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy for the first time ever in its career. DC has been firing on all cylinders and has never looked better than in their current form. Led by a young and resourceful skipper in Shreyas Iyer, the Delhi boys have responded to their skipper with full gusto and played like a well-oiled unit. Match after match, DC has stopped its rivals in style and has shown clear signs of being a serious contender for the elusive IPL trophy.
In almost all earlier editions, it has never progressed from the league stages. It was only in 2019 that it managed to go past the group stage and beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the eliminator before falling to CSK in qualifier-2. However, this time around, its mission is to go back home with the glittering trophy and satisfy its numerous band of supporters.
DC arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with one of the youngest set of players among the eight franchise teams. In Shreyas Iyer it has a dashing captain leading from the front. He has been solid with his batting and clever bowling changes that have brought instant results. Iyer’s fire has made every team member do its job efficiently. The team’s batting hovers around former Under-19 India captain Prithvi Shaw and experienced India star Shikhar Dhawan who has given a headstart for DC as openers. Wicketkeeper Rishab Pant has been ruthless and destroyed the opponent bowlers no end. From the overseas list, Australia’s Marcus Stoinis has been the most impressive with top-class batting, effective bowling and first-class fielding. It can be said that Stoinis has been one of the reasons for DC’s progress. Kagiso Rabada from South Africa has been the main strike bowler for DC. He is a bundle of energy and the lad seems to have gelled well with his Delhi teammates which helps him in his quest for valuable wickets. Senior spinner Ashwin has seen it all happening before and is now a primary wicket-taker for the Delhi side. Ashwin is an IPL veteran having played earlier for Rising Pune Supergiants, Kings XI Punjab and DC now. Yet another star spinner Amit Misra had to return home after being injured against Knight Riders after hurting his ring finger while attempting to take a catch off his own bowling. Mishra is the second-highest wicket-taker with 160 wickets from 150 matches after Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga of Mumbai Indians with 170 wickets. Burly Shimron Hetmyer from West Indies has shown some clean hitting as well as a safe pair of hands with his brilliant catching. Axar Patel is proving to be a good all-rounder with his wily bowling and late order bashing of the ball.
These are the main players in coach Ricky Ponting’s plans as they launch their attack to capture their maiden IPL trophy.
DC is sitting pretty on the top of the table at the end of its eight matches with six wins and 12 points. DC is closely followed by a strong MI side who is with 10 points from 7 matches winning five matches.
It will not be easy though. Apart from DC, there are at least 3 or 4 other teams gearing up for a final assault for a go at the title. With only a few matches left, it is a ‘now or never’ scenario for teams with no scope for defeat. Other teams have players like Kohli, de Villiers, Warner, Williamson, Rohit, Bumrah, Morgan, Karthik and others who will be equally interested to lift the trophy. Some others like Rahul, Pandey, Dhoni, du Plessis, Smith and Samson may probably feel that the title is now slowly slipping away from them. But a last-ditch effort is not ruled out.
This is the most testing time for DC. Before playoff, it has six remaining matches to play. There is no chance for a slip as all the matches will be crucial. The youngsters who showed such solid determination will be required to continue their performance in the same vein and style. The DC squad looks complete with plenty of energy and enthusiasm flowing all around. The final ceremony of crowning the eventual IPL champion is almost around the corner. After such a lot of toil and trouble, every good team deserves the prize money. This year’s winners will get Rs 10 crore and the runners up Rs 6.25 crore while the third and fourth-placed teams will receive Rs 4.375 cr each. There is no doubt that Shreyas Iyer’s Delhi Capitals will be gunning for the prize.
Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Mohit Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, R Ashwin, Marcus Stoinis, Anrich Nortje, Rishabh Pant, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Tushar Deshpande.