DC set for new era as Axar & Co. aim to arrest slump

What's new with Delhi Capitals in the new cycle?

A new captain, a new head coach and plenty of new additions to the squad. Losing Rishabh Pant meant DC were always on the lookout for their next leader. While it was widely speculated that KL Rahul might don the role the moment he was acquired, the responsibility has fallen on the shoulders of Axar Patel. It's certainly a reward for a player who has been with the franchise since 2019, and someone who seems to be at the prime of his career having established himself in the Indian limited-overs squads. Not to forget that he was DC's top retention ahead of the auction at INR 16.5 Crore.

There has been an overhaul in the coaching setup as well. After a long stint with Australian great Ricky Ponting, the Capitals parted ways to hand over the reins to former India batter Hemang Badani. His assistant Matthew Mott comes in with a rich experience having coached the Australian Women's team, and the England Men's team in recent years. Former England player Kevin Pietersen has been signed up as the team mentor, bolstering that coaching group further that also has India's 2011 World Cup winning member Munaf Patel.

In terms of personnel, DC certainly appear stronger on paper compared to the previous season. Australian great Mitchell Starc and India's T Natarajan are the primary additions to the pace attack. Mohit Sharma, who had an excellent IPL in 2023, has been bought as well. In the batting department, apart from Rahul, DC added veteran Faf du Plessis to the mix and he has also been named Axar's deputy. The likes of Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi and the exciting Ashutosh Sharma who had a stellar campaign last year will be bolstering the lineup as well.. Capitals were the only team apart from Punjab Kings to have not made the playoffs in the previous cycle. They would certainly hope for a change in fortunes now in the new cycle.

Full Squad

KL Rahul, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Karun Nair, Faf du Plessis, Donovan Ferreira, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Darshan Nalkande, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Manvanth Kumar L, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Axar Patel (C), Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera

The best XII as things stand

Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel (WK), KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (C), Ashutosh Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar

Injury/Availability Concerns

Harry Brook pulling out of the competition is indeed a massive blow for the franchise. They haven't named a replacement for him yet. In his absence they can either add the explosive Donovan Ferreira down the order as a finisher or use Faf du Plessis as an opener up top.

While Mitchell Starc is all set to return to competitive action after skipping the Champions Trophy, he did mention that he had some pain in his ankle recently while playing Test cricket. It will be interesting to see if his workload is managed given he has a WTC Final to play immediately after the IPL.

The player with a point to prove is...

'What more can I do?' remarked KL Rahul earlier this month after the Champions Trophy semifinal on constant question marks over his place in the ODI side. While there are absolutely zero doubts over his place in the 50-over set up for India, Rahul certainly has a lot to do in order to convince the selectors to bring him back into the T20I fold. In recent years, Rahul's strike rate in the IPL has been up for debate especially with a lot of flamboyant batters making a mark. His recent breakup with Lucknow Super Giants was certainly bitter. As he embarks on his next chapter in the IPL, all eyes will be on him whenever DC take the field even though he isn't going to be leading the side. Will we see Rahul break free and go back to his 2018 self? Or is there a possibility of Rahul going down the order in this format as well to reinvent himself?

A player who could have a breakout season?

Sameer Rizvi came in with a lot of reputation when Chennai Super Kings initially bought him for a massive price. But his opportunities were indeed limited for the five-time champions. Now with Harry Brook pulling out, Capitals certainly need someone to step up. Rizvi has been in good touch for Uttar Pradesh consistently scoring runs from the middle order. 2025 could be the season where he translates that onto the big stage.

Fixture build-up and run-in...

The Capitals will kick off their campaign with two games in their second home in Vizag. By the time they play their first fixture in Delhi, we would be three weeks into the tournament already. However, one advantage DC do have at the start is the amount of gaps between games. There's a five-day gap before they play their second fixture and another five days before the third. In case of a false start, this will give them plenty of time to regroup and work on strategies before the fixture congestion hits in mid-April.

A home ground stat to watchout for this season

The average first innings total in Delhi last IPL was 235 - the highest among all venues. Pace and spin were equally taken apart at this venue last year. No wonder DC were the worst death bowling side in the IPL across the last two editions. They would hope the additions of Starc and Natarajan will help them correct that record.