Where Delhi Capitals finished in IPL 2022
Fifth in the group stage, with seven wins and seven losses. It was the first time they hadn’t made the playoffs since 2018, Rovman Powell, Mitchell Marsh, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Aman Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Kuldeep Yadav, Praveen Dubey, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Khaleel Ahmed, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Ishant Sharma, Mukesh Kumar.
Player availability – Nortje and Ngidi arriving late
South Africa fast bowlers Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi will join the squad on April 3, after South Africa’s two-match ODI series against the Netherlands at home. Capitals play their second game on April 4, at home against Gujarat Titans.
What’s new with Delhi Capitals this year?
In the absence of the injured Pant, David Warner has been named their captain. During the auction, the team signed England’s Phil Salt and Rossouw to bolster their batting line-up. Sourav Ganguly, who used to be the captain of India and is now the president of the BCCI, has been named the franchise’s director of cricket.
The good – batting firepower: Warner, Shaw, Marsh, Sarfaraz, Powell
The Delhi Capitals have firepower in the likes of Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Marsh, Sarfaraz Khan, and Powell, with three of them striking at more than 140 in the IPL. The likes of Manish Pandey and Axar Patel have also proved handy in the lower order.
In has a captain who has led an IPL team to the title, Sunrisers Hyderabad, in 2016. He is the joint fifth-most successful captain in terms of games won: 35 wins, 32 losses, and two ties in 69 matches.
The not-so-good – Pant’s replacement as wicketkeeper?
Sarfaraz, Salt and Pandey are options to keep wickets after Capitals released specialist gloveman KS Bharat ahead of the 2023 auction. Salt has not had a big score in recent times, and his struggle against left-arm spin means he might not be an automatic starter. Sarfaraz is a part-time wicketkeeper, and Pandey has less experience than that.
Marsh is a good all-rounder, but the team doesn’t have a back-up for him because he gets hurt often. Due to his ankle injury, he hasn’t bowled in a real game since November of last year, even though he came back in February. However, he is eyeing a return with the ball during the IPL.
Schedule insights
Delhi Capitals are constantly travelling this IPL. Unlike a couple of teams which play a few home games at a stretch, they play one match away, one at home and then travel for the next game throughout the league stage, which is something the players need to get used to.
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