IPL 2018 squad analysis: Dark Knight 'Gautam' returns winning hope to Delhi Daredevils
Follow UsDelhi Daredevils is high on hopes of winning the Indian Premier Leagues' trophy with the arrival of Gautam Gambhir in 'Dilli' after six years.
Gautam Gambhir was available during the auction with a base price of INR 2 Cr as he was not retained by Kolkata Knight Riders. DD made the smartest buy and pooled in Gautam Gambir with an intent of solidifying the position of a captain. As he had displayed his captaincy skills when he led KKR's side to win two IPL titles.
Though DD has never won the IPL title but with the current squad list, the team has the best possible chances of winning.
When we talk about the team, Delhi has invested to build a well-balanced team. The batting order is very settled as they have Gautam Gambhir, Glenn Maxwell, Jason Roy, Colin Munro, Under-19 stars Prithvi Shaw and Manjot Kalra.
The batting department lacks middle order depth but the presence of Jason Roy, Colin Munro can fix it to some extent. Prithvi Shaw and Manjot Kalra can give required support to the middle order when given a chance to play.
The choice of retaining Rishabh Pant was good but the amount spent on him seems useless, instead of that, DD could have opted for another middle order batsman to solidify number 5 and 6 positions.
The strength of the squad is definitely the bowlers, from spinners to pacers, Delhi has every weapon to tear down any opponent.
They retained experienced South African seamer Chris Morris who is one of the best options for death overs and will provide judicious advice to other bowlers.
Trent Boult too will add the required pace strength.
Indian pacer Mohammed Shami recently been through a lot of controversies as his wife had leveled serious allegations including adultery, match-fixing and even attempt to murder on him.
Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administration (CoA) has given clean chit to Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami over match-fixing allegations.
Now, Shami will add more power to Delhi Daredevils' bowling department.
Apart from that, Jayant Yadav, Shabaz Nadeem and experienced Amit Mishra will provide a skilled set of spin-bowling options who can trouble a strong batting.
Also, Sandeep Lamichhane, the first cricketer from Nepal had grabbed an IPL contract when he was picked by Delhi Daredevils.
DD will play their first match on April 8, 2018, against the Kings XI Punjab. Rabada had the potential to add fire to the bowling squad but he has been ruled out fue to injury.
With their home ground in Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Gautam-led devils are one of the best contenders for IPL 2018 title. Better watch out!
Here is the squad list:
Retained:
Rishabh Pant (15 cr)
Chris Morris (11 cr)
Shreyas Iyer (7 cr)
Purchased:
Glenn Maxwell (9 cr), Gautam Gambhir (2.8 cr), Jason Roy (1.5 cr), Colin Munro (1.9 cr), Mohammed Shami (3 cr), Amit Mishra (4 cr), Prithvi Shaw (1.2 cr), Rahul Tewatia (3 cr), Vijay Shankar (3.2 cr), Harshal Patel (20 L), Avesh Khan (70 L), Shabaz Nadeem (3.2 cr), Dan Christian (1.5 cr), Jayant Yadav (50L), Gurkeerat Singh (75 L), Trent Boult (2.2 cr), Manjot Kalra (20L), Abhishek Sharma (55L), Sandeep Lamichanne (20L), Naman Ojha (1.4 cr), Sayan Ghosh (20L)