IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals’ Best Projected Playing XI (DC)
Delhi Capitals, the runners-up in the 2020 IPL, have been one of the most improved teams since their revival in 2019 under Shreyas Iyer’s leadership. They came in third in 2019 and second in 2020. As shown by their success over the last two years, the team has always seemed to be very strong from the start. Furthermore, the 2021 Auction has provided them with some very good and important players with which to experiment with different combinations.
Two strong overseas batsmen in Steve Smith and Sam Billings, as well as a good all-rounder in Tom Curran, were acquired by the team. Furthermore, the team was able to hire some promising young talent in the form of Vishnu Vinod, Ripal Patel, and Luk.
Is it appropriate for DC to adjust their strongest XI from 2020, based on the list of hired players? With new players, they definitely have a lot of choices to explore. So, using various combinations, let’s look at the best projected playing 11 for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021. Let’s take a quick look at the Delhi Capitals’ entire squad for the IPL 2021 season.
Delhi Capitals Predicted Squad for IPL 2021
Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sam Billings (WK), Shikhar Dhawan, Shimron Hetmyer, Shreyas Iyer (C), Steve Smith, Vishnu Vinod (WK), Axar Patel, Chris Woakes, Lalit Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ripal Patel, and Tom Curran, Amit Mishra, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddharth, Pravin Dubey & Umesh Yadav.
The Foundations Of DC In 2021
When I think of the Delhi Capitals’ strong heart, seven names come to mind. Shikhar Dhawan and Marcus Stoinis are at the top of the list, followed by Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant in the centre, Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin in the all-rounder category, and Kagiso Rabada in the bowling category.
These are the players who have been reported to feature in all of the games. They’ve proved to be match-winners in the past, and they’ll continue to do so as long as their form holds. Aside from these, Shimron Hetmyer, Ishant Sharma, and Anrich Nortje should all see plenty of action.
Shikhar Dhawan, Marcus Stoinis, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Kagiso Rabada make up the centre of the squad. Then there are three teams, Shimron Hetmyer, Ishant Sharma, and Anrich Nortje, who should hopefully play a lot of games. This leaves two sports for the Delhi Capitals to remember.
When it comes to the best starting lineup for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021, the team’s opening combination of Shikhar Dhawan and Marcus Stoinis should be considered. Marcus can bat in the middle order as well, but he is more dangerous at the top, as illustrated by the 2020 IPL and BBL versions.
To begin, Ajinkya Rahane should be placed after these two. In 2020, Rahane spent a lot of time at 3 for the Delhi Capitals. According to the pattern from last year, the Delhi Capitals have no other good choice for playing at the top than Prithvi Shaw or Steve Smith, so Rahane should be kept; at least for the time being.
The dependable middle-order duo of captain Shreyas Iyer at 4 and wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant at 5 should certainly be seen. Meanwhile, Hetmyer had a good year for DC in 2020, and he’s a good choice to have at No. 6. If things don’t work out with Hetmyer, Delhi should try Sam Billings at 6 instead.
Axar Patel and Ravi Ashwin, both all-rounders, should follow him. Both bowled left-arm spin and right-arm off-spin for DC last season, and their versatility is seen as an advantage, with one bowling left-arm spin and the other right-arm off-spin. For the pace department, Kagiso Rabada, their attack king, and Anrich Nortje, their 2020 bowling star, should once again be considered.
A toss-up between Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, and Umesh Yadav may be the final choice. While Mishra provides more middle-overs spin, Ishant Sharma or Umesh Yadav provide strong powerplay bowling options, which the Delhi Capitals desperately need. Looking at the past success of Umesh and Ishant, the latter tends to be a better prospect.
Choice 1: Ajinkya Rahane for Steve Smith
Steve Smith’s presence in the starting lineup will help them increase their batting attack. Ajinkya Rahane, the team’s biggest weak link at the moment, has grim T20 prospects. With Smith at the helm, Rahane can be benched. DC’s top-order now appears to be very high. However, this has the downside of forcing Nortje to sit out, giving Umesh a chance to play. Bowling, on the other hand, seems to be a little fragile as a result of this.
Shikhar Dhawan, Marcus Stoinis, Steve Smith, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Umesh
Choice 2: At the corner, Prithvi Shaw
For the past year or so, Prithvi Shaw has been out of shape. Shaw has had a very poor IPL 2020, where his results were mediocre, not just in the International format, where he was dropped after a series of poor scores. However, his recent success in the Vijay Hazare Trophy has piqued the Mumbaikar’s interest.
Shaw will hold his opener spot in IPL 2021 if he retains this form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Rahane can be benched. Stoinis would drop to the 5th or 6th position, while Iyer and Pant would each gain a spot.
Tom Curran in place of Shimron Hetmyer is the third choice
Tom Curran has recently been a standout player for England as an all-rounder. Though playing for Rajasthan Royals, he also achieved respectable results. Curran has the ability to be a strong hard hitter at 6 and a decent bowler capable of giving 2-3 overs. More importantly, having Curran in the side allows Ishant to be dropped and Mishra’s spin to take centre stage.
The strongest playing 11 for the Delhi Capitals for the IPL 2021 season is now complete. Aside from the set core of seven players and the choices we saw, the team has clear backups. Sam Billings, Chris Woakes, Lukman Meriwala, Avesh Khan, Vishnu Vinod, and Ripal Patel are among those on the list.