Auction review: DC

 Focus on youth and adventurous - will it help cross the final frontier this time?

If only league position at the end of the league stage must be considered as a benchmark, Delhi Capitals have been as consistent as MI & CSK over the past 3 seasons - finishing 3rd, 2nd and 1st in the league in seasons 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively. But unfortunately their performances at the last stage - in the play-offs - haven't been as consistent as the aforementioned two and hence DC find themselves branded as under-achievers. In Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Kagiso Rabada, Ravichandran Ashwin, Anrich Nortje, Axar Patel, Steven Smith and Marcus Stoinis they had a champion team and that reflected on their league position. So going into the 2022 auction, they had to retain the core and the lottery fell to Pant, Nortje, Axar and Shaw - letting Shreyas go in the process. But a more potent retention in my view.

DC's target at the auction was to find a similar flock of players (who would win matches just on their own might) and in the process also bring in a strong and youthful Indian contingent who would take the adventurous route - something coach Ricky Ponting would want in his team. The first two buys were both tactical and in keeping with the adventure in mind - David Warner, Mitchell Marsh. Worthy additions at cut-throat prices. And then the price catch of Shardul Thakur - wrenched away from CSK for more than 10 crores. A look at the 7 on their team at that point and you would only say - "That's a team". 

With the bulk of the batting taken care of, the focus shifted to bowlers followed by the "Made-in-India" youth contingent. Mustafizur Rehman and Kuldeep Yadav were significant bowling additions followed by Kamlesh Nagarkoti, KS Bharat, Khaleel Ahmed, Chetan Sakariya, Mandeep Singh and Yash Dhull. Dhull went on to score tons in both innings of his Ranji Trophy debut the following week. Incidentally, DC splashed the cash for most of these picks. By the time the auction ended, DC seemed like having the most satisfying auction - they even got to pick back-ups in all areas like Rovman Powell, Lungi Ngidi and Sarfaraz Khan, who went on to hit a triple ton the Ranji Trophy a few days later.

In conclusion, DC have once again taken the route to invest in youth and the adventurous and let us just hope that they buck the trend in the the new season and conquer the final frontier - an IPL trophy.

Probable XI: Warner, Shaw, Sarfaraz/Mandeep, Pant(c, wk), Marsh/Powell, Dhull/Bharat, Shardul, Nortje, Ngidi/Mustafizur, Kuldeep/Nagarkoti, Sakariya/Khaleel