Delhi Capitals have been one of the most unsuccessful franchises in IPL history. They have qualified for the playoffs only four times in last 12 years of IPL; thus making them one of the most inconsistent IPL franchises till date. The fortunes for the Delhi franchise turned in 2019 when they surprisingly performed exceptionally well and ended up third in the points table.
Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting have instilled a belief in the side which has made them mentally strong since Delhi was one of the squads that would change every now and then. But ever since 2018, they have stuck to their core of Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. The team, which revolves around a young core caused upsets in the 2019 season when they qualified for the playoffs after seven long years.
Going into the 2020 IPL auction Delhi Capitals retained their key players like Shaw, Dhawan, Iyer, and Pant building a side around these key players. They got Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane from trade-in deals from other franchises which made their side very strong.
They also made some interesting picks in the auction which took other franchises by surprise in the auction. Delhi have picked backups for every key role in the side and look a very settled side.
Let’s take a look at the Top 3 new picks to watch out for in Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020
Shimron Hetymer
The Caribbean batsman is one of the hottest property in T20 cricket in the world. He has the ability to start striking from ball one and can take the match away from the opposition in no time. Shimron Hetmyer was part of the RCB franchise in 2018 but only performed in the last few games thus putting up a poor show for them.
Though in 2020 IPL, we might just see him bat at 3 or 4 since he has a decent strike rate of 130s. His batting prowess has surely strengthened the Delhi lineup as he will look to hit big in the small grounds of UAE.
Many have tipped him to the next big thing in West Indies cricket and Delhi Capitals will hope Hetmyer to fire as they chase their first IPL title.
Jason Roy
Jason Roy is arguably the most destructive opening batsmen in limited-overs cricket at the moment. He plays fearlessly with one clear intention and that is to clear the ropes with pure timing. He has chased down huge targets for England in no time as he goes all out at the bowler from ball one.
His strike in T20s is close to 150s and has represented over seven teams in franchise cricket all over the world. His last IPL was with the Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals) where he was in and out of the side due to presence of players like Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer.
Though in 2020, Roy is a different ballplayer altogether and should be the first-choice pick in the XI because of his ability to score quickly. However, he will have to prove his worth to retain his spot considering the quality batsmen Delhi have in their ranks.
Marcus Stoinis
When we talk about top all-rounders in world cricket right now, we talk about Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Hardik Pandya But another name that we don’t really talk about is Marcus Stoinis of Australia. He hasn’t had the best of the best outings for Australia in the yellow jersey but is considered a fierce batsman in the Australian Domestic circuit.
He was also part of Australia’s U19 World Cup squad back in 2008 when Virat Kohli led India U19s as tournament winners. But unlike Virat Kohli, he debuted for Australia 8 years later in 2015.
He earlier represented the Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab franchise before getting bought by Delhi Capitals for ₹4.8 crores in the IPL auction conducted last year.
We expect him to play the role all-rounder for Delhi Capitals as he’s the lone fast-bowling all-rounder in the side after Chris Woakes opted out of the IPL this season. Stoinis has the ability to tonk the ball into the stands and can pose a threat to the opposition on any given day. Which is why Stoinis will certainly be one of the 3 new picks to watch out for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020.