IPL 2020: 3 Players who can replace Ishant Sharma in Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals (DC) are shining in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise has won five out of seven matches and are standing at the second position in the points tally with 10 points in its kitty. However, the franchise is dealing with some massive blows. Few days back, their leg-spinner Amit Mishra was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. This was followed by their swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant getting injured and being advised to rest for a week.

Now the team has another bad news as its pacer Ishant Sharma will not take any further part in the league. The seamer has suffered abdominal muscle tear and will take time to recover. The experienced player had featured in only 1 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on September 29 and went for 26 runs in three overs without picking up a wicket. As Ishant is out of the T20 extravaganza, Capitals will be looking for a suitable replacement for the pacer.

Here are a few players that can potentially replace Ishant Sharma:

3. Pranshu Vijayaran

The team management can look up to the all-rounder Pranshu Vijayaran as a replacement for Ishant Sharma as he has been training with the team since day 1 of their campaign in IPL 2020 as a net bowler. The 24-year-old can contribute with both bat and ball if the situation arises.

Pranshu made his List A debut for Delhi in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy on 20 September 2018 while he has been playing T20 cricket in the domestic circuit since 2015.

The young lad has featured in 19 T20 matches and has taken 12 wickets at an economy and average of 8 and 34.7 respectively. Pranshu has also featured in 6 List A matches taking 2 wickets at an economy of 4.69 and scoring 81 runs for his team at an average of 27 and strike rate of 98.8.

2. Pradeep Sangwan

Pradeep Sangwan‘s cricket career has been nothing less than a roller coaster ride for him. The pacer had made headlines in the U19 World Cup 2008 by taking a five-wicket haul and playing an instrumental part in the team’s success in the tournament. The left-arm medium pace bowler is also backed with good domestic records. Since his debut in 2007, Pradeep has taken 71 and 84 scalps in 44 List A and 88 T20 matches at an economy of 5.34 and 7.64 respectively.

Impressed with his accurate bowling, Delhi Daredevils had roped him into their squad for IPL for three years before he was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2011. The 29-year-old’s career took a break when he was banned for 15 months for testing positive in a dope test in 2013. However, the seamer bounced back stronger in the domestic circuit and played for Gujarat Lions and Mumbai Indians in 2016-17 and 2018 respectively.

Sangwan has now travelled to UAE with Delhi Capitals as their net bowler and can be on the radar of the management as a potential replacement for the experienced Ishant Sharma.

1. Barinder Sran

The left-arm medium-fast bowler Barinder Sran can be considered as a good option for Delhi Capitals as the cricketer is backed by experience and decent records. Sran’s ability to surprise the batsman with his hit-the-deck ploy and the left armer’s variety were the reason he was handed his debut cap for India in 2016.

Though the seamer couldn’t make an impact in the Australia tour as he picked only 7 wickets in 6 ODI matches, his journey in the T20 Championship has been quite eventful. Barinder began his campaign in Indian league with Rajasthan Royals in 2015 before being picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad for 2016 edition.

In 2018, the pacer played for Kings XI Punjab while he was named in the squad of Mumbai Indians for IPL 2019. In 24 IPL matches played, Sran picked 18 wickets at an economy of 9.40 and average of 42.0.