DC - IPL 2021 in UAE Team Preview

Delhi Capitals, the finalists of IPL 2020 were on the right track before the IPL 2021 was halted earlier this year. After years of poor outcomes at the IPL, Delhi Capitals have rejuvenated and put up a good show in 2019, 2020, and the first half of the IPL 2021. They will look forward to continuing their form in the second half of the tournament at UAE, with an eye on the maiden IPL trophy. They are one of the favourites to win the IPL 2021 on the cricket betting sites.

History of Delhi Capitals

The Delhi-based franchise, co-owned by GMR group and JSW group has a brand value of USD 53 million. Delhi Capitals (earlier Delhi Daredevils) had reached the semi-finals in the first two seasons of the Indian Premier League under the captaincy of the icon player Virender Sehwag. Gautam Gambhir was the top run-scorer for Delhi in 2008, followed by Sehwag with 406 runs. In 2009, AB de Villiers topped that list with 465 runs.

In 2010, they managed the fifth spot, but in 2011 they hit the bottom with just four wins in the entire season. In 2012, they topped the points table in the league round but ended up third after losing to CSK in the second eliminator. They ended up in the bottom half of the points table for the next six years. In IPL 2019, they finally made it to the playoffs with third place in the points table, but again lost to CSK in the second eliminator. They had their first real chance of winning the trophy in 2020, where they made 157 runs batting first, but MI chased down the target comfortably. Shikhar Dhawan (670 runs) was the top scorer for DC in IPL-2020, followed by the skipper Shreyas Iyer (519 runs). The duo and Kagiso Rabada (30 wickets in 17 matches) were the key players and contributors to the success of the team.

IPL 2021 Auction

Delhi Capitals had released six of their players before the auctions for IPL-2021, including Jason Roy. They also traded Harshal Patel and Daniel Sams to RCB. DC had entered the IPL 2021 auctions with a purse of INR 13.4 crores (USD 1.84 million). DC got the former Australian skipper and incredible batsman Steven Smith at INR 2.2 crores (USD 303k). They also got Umesh Yadav for his base price of INR 1 crore (USD 137k). The Capitals also signed four uncapped players for their base prices of INR 20 lakhs - Vishnu Vinod (WK-Batsman), Ripal Patel (Bowler), Manimaran Siddharth (Bowler), Lukman Meriwala (Bowler). DC made a costly purchase to bring in the England all-rounder Tom Curran for INR 5.25 crore (USD 723k). In the end, Delhi Capitals also roped in the explosive English batsman Sam Billings for his base price of INR 2 crore (USD 275k).

Players out: Alex Carey, Jason Roy, Keemo Paul, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mohit Sharma, Tushar Deshpande.

Players Traded: Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel (to RCB).

Players in: Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, Ripal Patel, M Siddharth.

Key Players for Delhi Capitals

Steven Smith: Though he is yet to play big innings in IPL 2021, the Australian batsman Steven Smith is a big match player. He can turn any match at his will, and it’s extremely difficult to get him out cheaply. He played for Rajasthan Royals in the last season and scored 311 runs at a strike rate of 131.22.

Kagiso Rabada: He is probably the most valuable player for Delhi Capitals. He bagged 30 wickets last year at an average of 18.26. He clinched key wickets and contributed immensely to the success of DC in IPL 2021.

Rishabh Pant: The explosive batsman, had scored 343 runs at a strike rate of 113.95 last year. He can turn a match in a few overs with his ability to score quick.

Marcus Stoinis: The all-rounder and a match-winner, Marcus Stoinis played a crucial role last year with 352 runs at a strike rate of 148.52 plus 13 wickets with an average of 21.76.

Delhi Capitals Squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Praveen Dubey, Lalit Yadav, Chris Woakes, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddharth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, T Natarajan

IPL 2021 So far

Shreyas Iyer missed the first half of the IPL due to his shoulder injury, but now he is fit to play and back in the action for the remaining matches in UAE. So far, under Rishabh Pant’s captaincy, the team has done exceedingly well, facing just two losses from 8 outings. The two defeats were against Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

They had begun their campaign with a win against CSK. After losing to RR in the next game, DC claimed 3 straight wins against PK, MI and SRH. They also won their last two games against KKR and PK before the IPL tournament was suspended.

TheTopBookies will be offering daily IPL betting tips as usual during the 2021 edition in UAE.

Performances of Players bought in IPL Auction 2021

Steven Smith hasn’t yet performed up to the mark in the 6 games he played for DC in the first half of the IPL 2021. He just amassed 104 runs, and 34 (not out) is his highest score. Umesh Yadav is yet to play a game in the 2021 edition of the tournament. Tom Curran has appeared in two DC matches this year. He has added just 21 runs and took just 1 wicket conceding 75 runs from nearly 8 overs. The left-arm pacer Lukman Meriwala has got a chance to play a match for DC, in which he took 1 wicket for 32 runs from his 3 overs.

Umesh Yadav and Sam Billings haven’t yet played a game this season, and they will be looking to play and make it count for their team. Uncapped players Vishnu Vinod, Ripal Patel and M Siddharth are yet to make a mark.

Betting Expectations for IPL 2021

1. Sunrisers Hyderabad: The table-toppers Delhi Capitals will look for easy two points against the bottom-ranked Sunrisers Hyderabad.

2. Mumbai Indians: In the first half, DC defeated MI already, but the second encounter with the defending champions will not be an easy one for DC.

3. Chennai Super Kings: Delhi have always lost critical matches against CSK, and the second-ranked team can be a real test for the table-toppers ahead of the playoffs.

4. Kolkata Knight Riders: Delhi Capitals have already defeated KKR earlier, and they will be looking to win another encounter against seventh-ranked KKR.

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Conclusion:

Delhi Capitals have done well in the first half of IPL 2021, by winning most of their matches, losing just 2 from 8 games to stay at the top of the points table. With Shreyas Iyer back in the squad after his injury, and players like Smith, Rabada, Panth and Shikhar Dhawan, DC’s chances are bright to make it to the playoffs and even appearing in the second consecutive final.