IPL 2019: Players behind Delhi Capitals' resurgence this season
The collective team effort was the reason behind DC's glorious IPL run this season but there were a few players that stood out for their impressive performances.
The team which has won the most number of hearts in this year's Indian Premier League is undoubtedly Delhi Capitals. They changed their identity before the start this season and results became positive for them as nobody would have thought that the last season's points table dud's will make into the playoffs this year. Delhi have played some quality cricket in the 12th edition and credit to their success must go to their coaching department- Ricky Ponting, Mohammad Kaif and Sourav Ganguly who groomed the young guns of the team.
Delhi's journey in the tournament ended on Friday night after a loss against defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the Qualifier 2 by six wickets.
The strategy of Delhi was clear even before the auction as they acquired the services of destructive Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan in the swap deal for Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhishek Sharma. Last year Delhi had Gautam Gambhir in their squad to bat at the top but this time they went for Dhawan with all guns blazing. The Southpaw turned out to be the most dependable batsman for them this season.
The collective team effort was the reason behind DC's glorious IPL run this season. In the team loaded with youngsters like Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer, everyone played their role in the squad efficiently. The bowling unit of the rejuvenated franchise had also become stronger with Kagiso Rabada leading the attacking unit alongside senior India pacer Ishant Sharma.
Here are the standout performers for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2019:
Shreyas Iyer
At the helm of the team, skipper Shreyas Iyer proved his metal this year in many crunch situations with both batting and captaincy. Iyer's calmness in under-pressure has impressed many cricket pundits and the Delhites. The talented right-handed batsman scored 386 runs for his team this year. He led the team from the front and adapted his batting according to the situation. He may have not scored big but his contributions of 30+ scores on tough wickets has taken his team home on many occasions. Last year he took over the Delhi's captaincy after Gambhir stepped down from the position, the Mumbaikar struggled a bit with the big responsibility last season but he bounced back stronger and showed maturity and wisdom.
Kagiso Rabada
The leader of Delhi's bowling line up proved his worth in IPL 2019 by picking 25 wickets in just 12 matches. He is the current purple cap holder and won plenty of matches for his team on his own. Nobody can forget his fierce bowling in the super over clash against Kolkata Knight Riders; it was a high voltage clash at Feroz Shah Kotla where Delhi need to defend just 11 runs and Iyer gave the ball to his key man. Rabada gifted the win to his team by removing KKR's powerhouse Andre Russell on the third ball of the super over. The South African couldn't complete the whole season for Delhi after the back injury and the team desperately missed him in the Qualifier 2 against Chennai Super Kings.
Rishabh Pant
Cricket pundits and fans call him the next big thing in Indian cricket and he proved them right with his destructive show in IPL 2019. The exclusion from India's World squad might hurt him but he didn't back down on the field to make his point in the front of the selectors. He was the second highest run-scorer for his team in the season with 488 runs at the strike rate of 162.66. The southpaw did justice with the role of a finisher for his team and impressed his coaching department. Ponting and Ganguly were in full praise of the 21-year-old throughout the tournament. Pant who was under a lot of scanner for his wicketkeeping skills shut down his critics this season by taking some outstanding catches.
Shikhar Dhawan
The absolute trump card for Delhi Capital's this season was Shikhar Dhawan. The left-handed batsman homecoming was pretty sweet as he was amongst the list of Orange cap contenders this year and ended the season with 522 runs at the 3rd position behind David Warner and KL Rahul. Dhawan was consistent in his team by giving them the ideal start in many matches. He scored five half-centuries this season. The inclusion of Dhawan in the squad balanced the Delhi's squad for the big tournament.