With the highly anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 just a couple of days away, the franchises have geared up for the splendid tournament. Delhi Capitals (DC), who is frequently making it to the playoffs in the last few years will look forward to grabbing their maiden IPL trophy.
In the IPL 2022 retention, DC counted on their young players and retained Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel and Anrich Nortje. The above-mentioned players have been an integral part of the team in the last few years. In the mega auction, the Delhi-based team got some popular cricketers from world cricket onboard. Let’s have a look at the three crucial players for DC in the IPL 2022:
1. David Warner
The attacking top-order batsman is back where his IPL journey started in 2009. After being released by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), David Warner was bought by DC for INR 7 crore in the IPL 2022 mega auction. Warner has been one of the consistent players in the Indian marquee T20 league so far. He provided robust starts and productive middle overs throughout his tenure at SRH. The franchise, which is been coached by Ricky Ponting, will also want Warner to provide the same kind of services at the opening spot.
The southpaw has registered 5449 runs in 150 matches so far. In 2016 he amassed over 800 runs in a single IPL edition.
2. Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant was appointed as the skipper of the Delhi franchise in the first phase of IPL 2021. He guided the team to the playoffs and also batted responsibly, where he scored over 400 runs. Pant has been the X-factor for the national side along with his IPL franchise. The wicket-keeper batsman can change the course of the game within a few overs. With the conditions in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune, favouring the batsmen, Pant will aim to score loads of runs and lead from the front.
So far in his IPL career, the Roorke-born player has featured in 84 IPL matches, in which he gathered 2498 runs. In 2018, he scored over 600 runs and made a name for himself.
3. Prithvi Shaw
The DC camp bestowed faith on Prithvi Shaw when they retained him over the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shreyas Iyer and Kagiso Rabada. Like Pant, Shaw also began his IPL journey with DC. After having a below-par season in the UAE in 2020, Shaw exploded in the first phase where the matches were conducted in India. In one of the early games of the 2021 edition, Shaw smashed six boundaries in an over against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He is likely to open with the IPL veteran, Warner and will look forward to creating havoc in the powerplay.
Shaw smashed 1305 runs so far in his 53 IPL matches. In the previous edition, he scored 479 runs at a strike rate of 159.13.
DC will commence their IPL 2022 stint against the five-time champions, Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday, March 27 at the Brabourne Stadium.