Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra reckons Delhi Capitals’ biggest problem is their lower-middle-order batting. The Capitals have a heavy top-order but they don’t have the finishers in their team, which has been their Achilles Heel.
The franchise has also released players like Phil Salt, Rovman Powell, and Rilee Rossouw ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. The Capitals have retained players like Rishabh Pant, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, and Prithvi Shaw but their lower middle order looks bleak. Thus, they will need to fill in that void in the IPL 2024 mini-auction.
“They have released Phil Salt, who was playing decently. They have released Rilee Rossouw and Rovman Powell as well. So who will bat down the order? They were a top-heavy team till last year and they are still a top-heavy team. So this team’s biggest problem is their lower-middle-order batting. They need lower-middle-order batters, so they will have to buy everyone who bats there,” said Chopra on his YouTube Channel.
On the other hand, the renowned commentator reckons Delhi Capitals will have to target a fast bowler as the availability of gun pacer Anrich Nortje is uncertain.
“They have released two left-arm pacers. They said they neither need Mustafizur Rahman nor Chetan Sakariya. They have left Kamlesh Nagarkoti as well. So they will have to buy fast bowlers because there is always a question about Anrich Nortje’s availability,” Chopra added.
DC finished in ninth place in the IPL 2023 standings, winning five matches and losing nine games under the leadership of David Warner. Thus, they will be determined to turn the tables in IPL 2024.
Rishabh Pant will lead DC in IPL 2024 as he is all set to return to action.
DC squad ahead of IPL 2024 auction
Rishabh Pant, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Khaleel Ahmed, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dhull, Vicky Ostwal, Abishek Porel, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi.
Players released by DC
Rilee Rossouw, Chetan Sakariya, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Phil Salt, Mustafizur Rahman, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan, Priyam Garg.
