Delhi Capitals (DC) enjoyed a phenomenal season in the IPL 2020. Under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, DC reached the finals and ended the tournament as runners-up. The strong Indian core and a high-quality overseas group made a perfect balance for Capitals to dominate other teams in the previous edition of the cash-rich league.
Ahead of the mini-auction, DC have released the likes of Mohit Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Keemo Paul, Sandeep Lamichhane, Alex Carey and Jason Roy. They now have three spots remaining for foreign cricketers and five for Indians. Considering the current group, DC need few players who could come in as a backup for already settled players.
Let’s have a look at four such players that DC might target in the upcoming mini-auction:
1.) Marnus Labuschagne
DC will definitely look for a quality batsman for their top-order in order to boost the batting unit and Australian talent Marnus Labuschagne could fit in the scenario perfectly. Ahead of the auction, Labuschagne has registered his name in the players’ list at a base price of INR 1 crore.
DC lacked a batsman who could make some good partnerships at the top, and Labuschagne has those abilities. In the recently concluded Big Bash League (BBL) 2020-21, the 26-year-old played six matches and amassed 176 runs with 49 being his best score.
Not only with the bat, but Labuschagne also shined with the ball. He finished the exciting tournament with 10 wickets to his credit and 3/46 being his best figure. So, the Queensland cricketer can also come in handy with the ball for the middle overs.
2.) Glenn Maxwell
Despite having the likes of Shimron Hetmyer, DC did miss a power-striker in the lower-order who could add some quick runs in the death overs. Considering his stature, Glenn Maxwell can fit this scenario.
Although, Maxwell had a disastrous season for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he failed to score a single six for KXIP. But he enjoyed a good outing in BBL 2020-21. The Victorian has amassed 379 runs from 14 games at an impressive strike-rate of 143.56 with three half-centuries.
Moreover, Maxwell also brings the all-rounder option into play, and he could strengthen the team, which already has some quality all-rounders like Marcus Stoinis and Chris Woakes.
3.) Umesh Yadav
DC is one of the fewest teams in IPL who have a pretty good bowling attack. They have top-quality pacers in the form of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada, who did an amazing job in IPL 2020. Further, DC also have exceptional spinners with the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra.
Despite all the positives in the bowling unit, DC need an Indian pacer who could spend his overs in the initial phase of play and veteran paceman Umesh Yadav can be a suitable option. The right-armer did not play too many games in the lucrative league last year, but his credentials are such that can’t be ignored.
Overall, Umesh has played 121 matches in IPL, where he has taken 119 wickets at a strike-rate of 21 with 4/24 being his best.
4.) Matthew Wade
Ahead of the upcoming mini-auction, the Delhi-based franchise released wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey and there is no doubt that DC will look for some quality keeper in IPL 2021 bidding process. They currently have Rishabh Pant completely fit for the role, but surely DC shall be focusing on getting someone as an alternate or backup option for Pant.
Giving the history of DC, they might go for another talented Aussie keeper Matthew Wade. The left-handed batsman has performed really well in the T20I series against India. Wade will bring to the squad the vast experience he has earned over the years, which will surely help the group.
Overall, Wade has played 134 matches in the shortest format and scored 2715 runs with a strike-rate of 136.98. The Tasmanian cricketer has one hundred and 19 half-centuries to his name in T20s. He has taken 65 catches and effected eight stumpings.
