IPL 2020: A complete SWOT Analysis of all eight teams

Delhi Capitals

Squad-Shreyas Iyer(c), Ravichandran Ashwin, Avesh Khan, Alex Carey, Tushar Deshpande, Shikhar Dhawan, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Lamichanne, Amit Mishra, Anrich Nortje, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Keemo Paul, Kagiso Rabada, Ajinkya Rahane, Jason Roy, Ishant Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Marcus Stoinis, Lalit Yadav

Strengths

• Strong Indian Core- The team has a very strong Indian core with the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra and a young bunch of batsmen in Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer last year. On top of that they have managed to secure the services of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane, two very experienced India internationals who have also played a lot of IPL. The youngsters are bound to benefit immensely as they will have two intelligent cricketing brains to pick from and learn from their experiences. Ashwin and Rahane are both astute thinkers of the game and now with their addition, Delhi seem to possess perhaps the finest Indian core in the IPL, which could be the link that now connects them to the trophy.

• Outstanding Coaching Staff- A very underrated aspect of winning games of cricket especially in the high-pressure IPL, is the coaching staff. They stay in the background, but their cricketing tips as well as advice to players regarding how to handle the perks of fame go a long way in keeping the players grounded and focused. Delhi had pulled off a coup a last year by getting Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly in the same coaching staff, backed with the likes of Mohammad Kaif and Samuel Badree. While Ganguly wont be continuing this year, Delhi have brought in Ryan Harris as their fast bowling coach and Vijay Dahiya, an ex cricketer with a lot of respect in the domestic circuit, as the talent scout head. The coaching staff was monumental in moulding a lot of youngsters in Delhi last year, and would again be a huge strength for the Delhi side.

Weakness

• Lack of firepower in the lower order- Like Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals are extremely top heavy with a lot of muscle in the top 5. And the addition of Shimron Hetmyer has made them even more powerful. But while they had someone like Morris last time, this time around they don’t have an established finisher. Axar Patel, Ravi Ashwin, Marcus Stoinis and Keemo Paul are most likely going to occupy the 6-8 spots and while all of them can be dangerous on their day, they don’t infuse as much as fear. The team will be heavily reliant on Rishabh Pant and Hemtyer to bat through and provide the fireworks in the latter overs. But it is unrealistic to expect the youngsters to fire ever game, and Delhi might miss a reliable finisher especially in the crucial stages of the game.

Opportunity

• The Delhi squad has retained their core from last year and will be brimming with confidence having qualified for playoffs for the first time in 7 years. The confidence from the last season is sure to keep their spirits high and they will believe they can replicate a similar performance. Having a number of spinners for the slow pitches of UAE will also a play big role for Delhi.

Threat

• Even before the tournament has begun, Ricky Ponting and Ravichandran Ashwin seem to have clashing thoughts about a certain act of running out batsmen at the non-strikers end if he leaves the crease before the ball is delivered. While the cricketing fraternity has been divided about it, Ashwin has had a strong opinion on it from a long time. Delhi will hope Ponting, another strong minded individual, who has to now manage almost 4 well established Indian international players, is able to sort out differences of opinion with the seniors successfully, else the the disagreements could lead to a lot of mayhem in the squad.

Potential Surprises– Keemo Paul, Harshal Patel