IPL 2019: Delhi Capitals - Strengths, question marks and best XI

Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and skipper Shreyas Iyer form a troika of batting prodigies the Capitals can rely on.

Delhi Daredevils' Shreyas Iyer takes a catch while his teammates watch on. (File Photo | PTI)

The Indian Premier League is set to get underway on March 23, with the defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai. Of the eight teams in the fray, the only side that has never made it to the final is the one from Delhi.

The franchise which was earlier called the Delhi Daredevils has changed its name to the Delhi Capitals from this year's edition. Will this be a campaign defining change? Let's have a look at the strength and weaknesses of the squad.

Squad:
Shreyas Iyer (C), Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Rahul Tewatia, Jayant Yadav, Manjot Kalra, Colin Munro, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Sandeep Lamichhane, Trent Boult, Shikhar Dhawan, Hanuma Vihari, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Ankush Bains, Nathu Singh, Colin Ingram, Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Jalaj Saxena, Bandaru Ayyappa

Support Staff:

Ricky Ponting- Head Coach
Mohammad Kaif- Assistant Coach
Pravin Amre- Talent Scout
James Hopes- Fast Bowling Coach
Sumeshen Moodley- Physio

Strengths:
Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and skipper Shreyas Iyer form a troika of batting prodigies the Capitals can rely on. Also, Shikhar Dhawan comes into the squad after a terrific season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The batting looks very solid for the Delhi Capitals with a dangerous top order followed by a couple of hard-hitting South Africans in Colin Ingram and Chris Morris.

Pacemen Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada can be a deadly new-ball pair and the Capitals would expect them to fire with early wickets.

Young speedster Avesh Khan also impressed for the Daredevils last year and can be lethal with his wicket-taking abilities.

Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane of Nepal, who had a good run in the Big Bash League, will play the whole tournament as he doesn't have World Cup commitments.

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Question marks:

It's a young side with a young captain in Iyer. The bowling attack is a bit of a concern, as Ishant Sharma and Avesh Khan are the only notable Indian pacemen. Although Boult and Rabada are in the squad, they may not be available for the entire tournament due to World Cup commitments.

There's also a question mark over the bench strength. Hanuma Vihari will feature in the IPL after three years and his T20 exploits aren't as noteworthy as his red-ball feats.

Other than Chris Morris, DC do not have a proven finisher in their squad which may prove fatal in the later stages of the tournament.

Managing the workload and availability of players due to the upcoming World Cup will prove pivotal if the Capitals are to improve on their poor IPL record.

Prediction: The three home games in the first two weeks gives the Capitals some advantage. If they focus on building momentum early on in the tournament, they can reach the playoffs.

Best XI:

Shreyas Iyer (C)

Shikhar Dhawan

Prithvi Shaw

Rishabh Pant

Colin Ingram (F)

Chris Morris (F)

Axar Patel

Amit Mishra

Trent Boult (F)

Kagiso Rabada (F)

Ishant Sharma