Image Credit- DC
The Delhi Capitals
were never able to bounce back after losing their opening five IPL 2023 games.
They finished ninth out of ten teams, having only won five of their fourteen
games.
Rishabh Pant is the most well-known player when it comes to availability, not
only for the Capitals but also for Indian cricket. Leading the team, the
wicketkeeper-batter will be playing competitive cricket again for the first
time since a horrible accident in December 2022.
But the Caps are worried about other injuries. Lungi Ngidi is currently healing
from a lower-back injury he sustained during the SA20 earlier in the year,
therefore he won’t be available for the IPL in 2024. In his place, they’ve
brought in Australian Jake Fraser-McGurk, age 21.
Harry Brook left the
Capitals earlier in the season due to personal reasons. They have not yet
announced the Englishman’s replacement.
Jhye Richardson, an Australian fast bowler, is unlikely to be available for the
entire competition, if not less. Richardson has been sidelined since suffering
a left side strain during the BBL in early January.
The match fitness of Anrich Nortje, a fast bowler from South Africa who is
returning after a lengthy injury layoff, may also be a concern for the
Capitals. Due to a back stress fracture, he has not been able to play since
September 2023. Rob Walter, the South Africa white-ball coach, will keep an eye
on him throughout the Indian Premier League.
Although Lisa
Sthalekar believes that Pant would receive a louder cheer upon his return than
either MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli, it is still unclear how the wicketkeeper-batter
will perform on the pitch following a 14-month absence. The BCCI’s fitness and
medical teams have approved Pant to keep wicket, and he will head the Capitals
squad in place of David Warner, who captained the group the previous year.
The Capitals spent heavily on Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra at
the December 2023 auction, paying INR 7.2 crore for him. Richardson (INR 4
crore) and Haryana’s all-round fast bowler Sumit Kumar (INR 1 crore), who has
had a strong few months in domestic cricket, were other major acquisitions made
by the Capitals.
With David Warner,
Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, and Pant positioned at the top of the order, the
Capitals have a potent batting lineup. They’ll also be eager to take advantage
of Tristan Stubbs’ and Ricky Bhui’s recent success.
In the recent Ranji Trophy 2023–24, Bhui emerged as the top run scorer. He also
enjoyed a successful Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023, finishing with a score of
184.25.
Stubbs enters the IPL fresh off a triple-century against KwaZulu-Natal Inland
in the division one competition of the CSA. Prior to that, he helped Sunrisers
Eastern Cape win a second consecutive SA20 championship by finishing as their
top run scorer in the SA20.
The fact that
Fraser-McGurk, a batter, was added to the Capitals’ roster in place of Ngidi
was unexpected given how thin their fast bowling lineup seemed to be getting by
the minute. They are still lacking in the department, but they could still
bring in a seamer to take Brook’s place. Though they haven’t always performed
well in the T20 circuit, Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar may bear a large
portion of the fast-bowling load. The Capitals will be hoping desperately that
Nortje can perform well right away.
On March 23, the
Capitals play their first IPL match of the season in the afternoon against
Punjab Kings in Mullanpur, the new home ground for the Kings. After that, on
March 28, they will go to Jaipur to play the Rajasthan Royals. On March 31 and
April 3, they will host the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in
Visakhapatnam. On April 7, the Capitals and Mumbai Indians will play at
Wankhede Stadium. Once the national election timetable is made public, the
schedule for the remaining IPL 2024 will be made available.