IPL 2024 Season Preview for the Delhi Capitals: DC Hoping to Break the Title Drought, All Eyes Are on the Returning Rishabh Pant

For the whole 2024 Indian Premier League, not just the Delhi Capitals, Rishabh Pant is the buzzword. The Delhi star is preparing for a much awaited comeback to competitive cricket in the wake of his horrible automobile tragedy, which occurred almost 14 months ago. What will become of him? Will he meet the standards set for him? The answers to the Delhi Capitals’ prospects in the 2024 Indian Premier League are found in this query.

You would have assumed that DC would make changes at the IPL 2024 Auction (for the nth time) after placing ninth in the league last year, but they chose to keep the core even after releasing 11 players and entering with a purse of Rs 28.95 crore. The players discharged were Sarfaraz Khan, the most recent Test player for India, Phil Salt, Rilee Rossouw, and current Windies T20I captain Rovman Powell. Harry Brooks, Tristan Stubbs, Jhye Richardson, Kumar Kushagra, and Shai Hope were among the players they brought.

However, Brook’s departure has again thrown a wrench in their plans for the IPL 2024. Jake Fraser-McGurk, an Australian opener, has taken Lungi Ngidi’s slot. In terms of batting, the DC unit seems to be lacking somewhat overall. Because of Shaw’s inconsistent play, Fraser-McGurk and Warner may be paired together, with Mitchell Marsh and Pant following. For the middle and lower-middle order, that leaves them with Axar Patel, Yash Dhull, Lalit Yadav, Ricky Bhui, and Kumar Kushagra. Even if Stubbs is an enticing prospect, DC cannot afford to bench Anrich Nortje in order to meet the requirement of four players from outside. However, he might be used as the Impact sub.

DC’s only certain bowling performers are the in-form Kuldeep and the dependable Axar. Richardson, a delicate asset, is also coming back from an injury layoff, along with Nortje, and there’s also the unpredictability of Khaleel Ahmed. Although Ishant Sharma proved to be a great value for Washington last season, there are still concerns about the aging veteran’s health. Given that he has been selected as the Australian captain for the next T20 World Cup, Marsh may not push himself too much with the ball. In the end, DC could have to rely on Warner and how well they use Axar.

How They Did Not Succeed The Previous Year

Under Shreyas Iyer initially and later Pant, DC enjoyed a successful run in the league from 2019 to 2022, reaching the playoffs three times in total. Under the leadership of Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly, it seemed that DC would soon break their trophy drought in the IPL. Ultimately, they are among the three original eight franchises (together with KXIP and RCB) that have never taken home the championship.

However, the absence of Pant hurt them terribly in the 2023 edition, as the Capitals collapsed, placing ninth with only five victories. Warner was the only DC player to rank in the top 10 run scorers from the previous season; Axar came in second at 34th. Twenty-third on the Purple Cap list was their greatest bowler. Midway through, Sarfaraz Khan had to put on the gloves behind the stumps as they had to drop the horribly out-of-form Shaw. DC could not even figure out who they were last year, let alone find someone to replace Pant.

Best Player(s) to Keep an Eye on

Rishabh Pant: The captain, without a doubt. Last year, DC was trying to replace three places left by Pant. A keeper, a captain, and a batter. Warner took an excellent lead, but DC was unable to locate a keeper or hitter that could provide even half of what Pant might have. Though it’s unlikely that a returning Pant would light up the stage right away—his fitness will be a major question mark—you wouldn’t want to take a chance on a player of Pant’s caliber, would you?

Axar Patel: Axar was DC’s lucky charm with the bat and the ball during Pant’s absence. However, last year’s use of him as a batter was presumably not optimal. This year, everyone will be watching to see how DC deploys Axar, the batter. If he goes up to five, DC will be in the best possible situation. He’s shown to be a difficult customer to deal with when it comes to the ball on a variety of pitches.

David Warner: Known as “The Bull,” this may be the last season for the true IPL great. You can guarantee that Warner will be vying for the Orange Cap in another season since he was DC’s top run scorer in the previous one. Also, DC supporters would know they would have a successful season if he could repeat his previous IPL performances.

The strongest lineup for DC includes: Lalit Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Axar Patel, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), and Ricky Bhui/Kumar Kushagra.

Tristan Stubbs for Nortje, Impact Sub

Entire Squad

Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, Abishek Porel, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Lalit Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Mitchell Marsh, Ishant Sharma, Yash Dhull, Mukesh Kumar, Tristan Stubbs, Kumar Kushagra, Ricky Bhui, Rasikh Dar, Jhye Richardson, Sumit Kumar, Shai Hope, and Swastik Chhikara were among the individuals named by Rishabh Pant (C).

DC IPL Schedule for 2024

DC vs. PBKS at Mullanpur on March 23

DC vs. RR at Jaipur on March 28

DC vs. CSK, March 31, Visakhapatnam

DC vs. KKR – April 3, Visakhapatnam

Michigan vs. DC at Wankhede, April 7