By 
The Delhi Capitals (DC) will face off against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their first game of WPL 2023 on Sunday, March 5, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
The Delhi Capitals franchise, co-owned by the JSW and GMR groups, acquired the Delhi franchise for the WPL for INR 810 Crores.
Led by Australian national team captain Meg Lanning, the Delhi Capitals seem to have assembled a stellar roster heading into the inaugural edition of the WPL and are one of the favorites to win the title.
Without further ado, let’s take a deeper look at the team.
Auction
While DC did try to bid for some players in the first couple of marquee sets, they were levelheaded enough and didn’t overexert themselves in any bid, preferring to stay calm and wait for the other teams to burn through their money. Their understanding of the auction order helped them big-time to build the team that they have.
They bided their time and waited for the first two sets to get done before getting involved in the bidding. And in a flash, they secured Meg Lanning, Shafali Verma, and Jemimah Rodrigues for a combined sum of ₹5.30 Crores.
Almost every team’s list of overseas players is well-matched, and the real difference between sides will be the quality of Indian players. In Shafali and Jemimah, DC has snapped up two of the brightest gems of Indian cricket, and the two batters should only improve with time.
They continued their smart bidding by securing dynamite all-rounder Marizanne Kapp for ₹1.5 Crores and hard-hitting batters Laura Harris and Alice Capsey for a combined ₹1.2 Crores. They’ve got some real power hitters in their batting lineup, and that top order of Lanning, Jemimah, and Shafali could easily be the best in the league.
They didn’t leave the bowling department in the lurch either, signing quality Indian players in Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, and the experienced Poonam Yadav. Australian bowling all-rounder Jess Jonassen provides an air of control and experience with her left-arm spin.
They’ve also got some promising young talent in pacer Titas Sadhu, batter Jasia Akhter, and the USA seamer Tara Norris.
Delhi Capitals’ Squad for WPL 2023:
Meg Lanning (C), Jemimah Rodrigues(VC), Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Alice Capsey, Laura Harris, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Jess Jonassen, Arundhati Reddy, Tara Norris, Minnu Mani, Jasia Akhter, Titas Sadhu, Poonam Yadav, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia, and Aparna Mondal.
DC: Strengths
DC has plenty of positives to speak of, and the biggest and most influential is its strong Indian core. They’ve probably got the best set of Indian players in the league, and that’s what every team wants. When you have to play seven Indian players(Six if your fifth overseas player is from an associate nation), the focus should be to get the best Indian players into the team.
Good overseas players are abundant at the auction, and once the respective teams’ slots become full, you can get the best of the rest at close to the base price. DC went in with this strategy to the auction, and it served them brilliantly. They now have an Indian core of Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav, and Arundhati Reddy, and I don’t think any other team can match that.
Another strength is their clarity in the profile of overseas players they purchased. They’ve gone for players with high strike rates and the ability to bludgeon a cricket ball, with Laura Harris and Alice Capsey known for their aggressive strokeplay. They also made a smart move to sign USA left-arm quick Tara Norris. DC can play her as the fifth overseas player in the playing XI since she comes from an associate nation.
DC: Weaknesses
For all their planning and strategy at the auction, DC did come out of it light in one department: wicket-keepers. They signed capped Indian wicket-keeper Taniya Bhatia for only ₹30 Lakhs, but there’s a reason her price is that low. Her stats in international cricket don’t make for pretty viewing, as she averages around 15 in ODIs and less than 10 in T20Is.
Even if they aim to play her purely as a keeper and have the rest of the team compensate for her batting, you’d have to say this is a problem area for DC. They could’ve gone for an overseas batter who also keeps wickets in place of Grace Harris or Tara Norris to give themselves the option to make a change later in the tournament.
They’ve also seemed to have overindulged on specialist batters, much like some other teams have done so on all-rounders. Marizanne Kapp is the only genuine all-rounder in their probable Top Six, and they might be left short on bowling options in some matches.
DC’s predicted playing XI: Shafali Verma, Jasia Akhter, Jemimah Rodrigues, Meg Lanning (C), Marizanne Kapp, Taniya Bhatia (WK), Laura Harris, Jess Jonassen, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, and Poonam Yadav.
DC: Best Fantasy Cricket Options for WPL 2023
Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Meg Lanning are all quality batters who could rack up the runs in this tournament. They’re all solid Fantasy cricket picks. All-rounder Marizanne Kapp is the pick of the lot, especially considering how nailed-on she is to bowl her full quota of overs.
Jess Jonassen could provide DC with handy batting cover at No.s 7 and 8 in addition to her reliable left-arm spin. Meg Lanning has used her as a death bowling option in the Aussie national team, and there’s a good chance she will play that role in the WPL too. That’ll give her a great chance of picking up more wickets.
Comments