In fresh set-up, Delhi Capitals look for a bright season

Bengaluru: Delhi Capitals remain one of three original IPL teams - alongside Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings - yet to win the title despite 17 attempts. They’ve always stacked their squad with star players and big-name coaches but have never quite cracked the winning formula. This season, they’re taking another shot with a fresh mix of experience and emerging talent.

They have freshly-minted ICC champions KL Rahul, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav while Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc and batter Jasen Fraser-McGurk and South African duo Faf du Plessis and Tristan Stubbs form the core of foreign contingent. 

Their support staff, which was helmed by Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly till last season, looked lightweight when former India players Hemang Badani and Venugopal Rao were named head coach and director of cricket respectively. But that has been sort of off-set by the appointment of former England skipper Kevin Petersen as the mentor and Aussie Matthew Mott as the assistant coach. Du Plessis, who led RCB for three years with a decent record before being released ahead of this season, has been named Axar's deputy.

A look at the team composition, throws up an interesting aspect about the Capitals. They have heavily invested in Indian bowling resources, especially spin, while most high-profile batters are overseas players. Rahul is the biggest Indian name among batters with Sameer Rizvi, Abhishek Porel and Ashutosh Sharma giving him the company. Veteran Karun Nair, who has had an extraordinary domestic season culminating in a Ranji Trophy title with Vidarbha, will be keen to cash in on his form as would be Capitals. Skipper Axar, who has justified his promotion to No. 5 in India’s ODI setup, will aim to reinforce his credentials as a genuine all-rounder.

In the bowling department, Starc and Sri Lanka’s Dushmantha Chameera are the key international seamers, but Delhi will primarily rely on their Indian contingent. Axar and Kuldeep lead the spin attack, while Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, and Mohit Sharma bolster the pace battery.

One major talking point is Rahul’s role. Will he be the anchor or the finisher? His batting approach has been under scrutiny for years, often appearing caught between roles. For Delhi’s sake -- and his own -- he needs clarity and intent.

Squad: Axar Patel (captain), KL Rahul, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Karun Nair, Faf du Plessis, Donovan Ferreira, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Darshan Nalkande, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Manvanth Kumar, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Axar Patel, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan.

Overall record (2008-2024)

Matches: 252; Won: 112; Lost: 134; NR: 2

Win%: 44.44

Highest Total: 257/4 vs Mumbai Indians (Delhi, April 27, 2024)

Lowest Total: 66 all out vs Mumbai Indians (Delhi, May 6, 2017)

Best finish: Runners-up (2020)