IPL 2021: SWOT Analysis of Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals over the past few years, invested in youth and finally reaped rich dividends last season. Led by a young and astute captain, Shreyas Iyer, the team reached the finals. Some of their young guns had a fabulous tournament especially, Rishabh Pant. This year they bolstered their batting prowess by getting Steven Smith. In hindsight, it turned out to be a very good decision because of the unfortunate injury to Shreyas Iyer. 

The injury to Shreyas Iyer which has ruled him out of the tournament meant, the team needed a new captain. Rishabh Pant has been having a great 2021 and it was hardly any surprise when he was declared as the captain for this season. How well he leads the team would be interesting to watch.

Here is my best XI for Delhi Capitals:

Prithvi Shaw

Shikhar Dhawan

Steve Smith

Rishabh Pant

Ajinkya Rahane

Marcus Stoinis

Axar Patel

Ravichandra Ashwin

Kagiso Rabada

Anrich Nortje

Ishant Sharma

Here is the SWOT analysis:

Strength: Their top order looks very good and with the form Rishabh Pant is in, I don’t think they will feel the absence of Shreyas Iyer. Two crafty spinners who are equally adept with the bat is another advantage for them. Two out and out fast bowlers to complement the spinners bring balance to this team. Marcus Stoinis is their X-factor. He had a great tournament last season and would like to continue in the same vein this year too.

Weakness: However strong the first XI looks, the same can’t be said about their bench strength. IPL is a very long tournament that runs for more than 7 weeks and hence you would need some replacements in the middle of the tournament to rest some of the tired legs. The team might struggle in that front which would also mean too much pressure on a few players. How the team management balances the workload would be interesting to see. Another weakness that I see in this team is the fielding. more than 4 players in this team are slow movers and that could affect the team in the field.

Opportunity: Biggest opportunity is for Prithvi Shaw to show the world once again why he was touted as the best thing to come out of Mumbai cricket in the last 5 years. He somehow lost his touch over the last couple of seasons. He came back very strongly in the recent domestic tournament and he should look at building on that form and have a big IPL. The T20 World Cup will be held in India in another 6 months’ time and I am sure he is eyeing a spot in the Indian team. India has been struggling off late with spinners in white-ball cricket. Both Ashwin and Axar Patel would love to take this opportunity to make a comeback. I look forward to their all-round skills in this tournament.

Threat: Bench strength of Delhi Capitals is a cause for concern and hence injury management would be one of their topmost priorities. They have some players in the team who are prone to injuries, namely, Ishant Sharma, Ravichandra Ashwin, and Prithvi Shaw. There lies their biggest threat because they have already lost Shreyas Iyer to injury even before the tournament begins.

All in all, if the team plays to its potential, I see them reaching the playoffs and from there it’s always anybody’s game. I think both Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant are going to rock the IPL season. Seeing both of them bat together would be some fun for sure.

What do you think about their playing XI? Should there be any changes to the XI I gave? 

Do write in with your thoughts and views as I come back to you tomorrow with the SWOT analysis of the defending champions, Mumbai Indians.

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