Delhi Daredevils and a disastrous IPL campaign is like wine in a new bottle. From the inception of the league, Delhi has always threatened to fire without ever actually managing to do so.
This season round, with some strategic buys at the IPL auction combined with the astute leadership skills of Gautam Gambhir, things were expected to change. Yet, six games into the tournament, Delhi are languishing at the bottom of the points table with a solitary win and five defeats.
Several things have gone wrong for them this IPL despite them possessing a well-rounded, balanced side. Here is a comprehensive analysis of the few mistakes they have made this IPL.
1. Glenn Maxwell Over Colin Munro?
While known for his brilliant exploits as an International cricketer, it is a tad surprising that Maxwell isn't as big a force in the IPL. His returns in the last few editions of the tournament read thus:
- 2015 : 145 runs @13.18 in 11 innings
- 2016 : 179 runs @ 19.89 in 11 innings
- 2017 : 310 runs @ 31 in 13 innings
- 2018* : 93 runs @ 15.6 in 5 innings
In the last 49 matches he has played in the IPL,Maxwell has just two half-centuries. While having him as a back-up option makes sense, it is bizarre that Delhi have lost faith in Colin Munro after merely two matches and stuck to Maxwell religiously.
The Kiwi opener had a roaring 2017 with the bat in T20 cricket and could also be a handy bowling option at home where the wicket has proved to be a tad sluggish.
2. Why Persist With Vijay Shankar?
While Vijay Shankar is a fine cricketer, his T20 exploits have raised eyebrows more than once. Languishing at no.6 or no.7 in the Delhi batting line-up and barely bowling, Vijay Shankar has had minimal role to play in the season thus far. Yet he has found himself in the XI in all matches.
Given that he is more of a top order batsman, it is strange that Delhi have used him in an unfamiliar position and not really replaced him despite his diminishing role with each passing game. With impact players like Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Jayant Yadav and even Naman Ojha waiting in the wings, Delhi’s decision seems baffling.
3. Keeping Amit Mishra Out
While Rahul Tewatia has been more than impressive with the ball, the decision to keep Amit Mishra, the most successful Indian bowler in the history of the league(134 wickets in 128 matches), seems illogical. While it is indeed true that Mishra has been a tad expensive in recent times, there is no substitute for taking wickets in this format of the game as Yuzvendra Chahal - Kuldeep Yadav pair showed in limited-over games last year.
Shahbaz Nadeem has failed miserably in taking wickets and containing the scoring rare. While the think-tank could possibly be thinking that Tewatia is also a wrist spinner, it makes sense to use the two of them in the same team. Infact, it could work immensely in their favour.
4. Gautam Gambhir's Failed to Hit Form
Gautam Gambhir's move to Delhi was supposed to bring calm to the storm. Instead it has set fire to a spark and Delhi have more often than not found themselves one down early on in the innings. The half-century in the first match of the season aside, Gambhir has made a sorry 30 runs in four matches.
His scores since then have read DNB, 15, 8, 3 and 4. While his huge success at the top alongside Robin Uthappa at Kolkata Knight Riders gave the franchise two IPL titles, his shoddy form at the top for Delhi Daredevils has been a huge setback for the franchise this year.
Gambhir will need to hit his straps sooner rather than later if Delhi are to resuscitate their faltering season. One way of doing it could be to move one position down in the batting order and pushing Colin Munro alongside Shreyas Iyer to open the batting. This would allow him to ease into the game and find some form.
5. Lack of Seam Bowling Support for Trent Boult
While the left-arm New Zealand seamer has been phenomenal with the new ball, he has lacked any kind of support from the other end. Mohammad Shami and Chris Morris have gone at over 10 runs per over and Dan Christian, whose variations could come in handy on must surfaces, warmed the bench for some time alongside Liam Plunkett.
Last match, Christian returned to the starting XI, Liam Plunkett was newly added and the duo immediately made an impact. Plunkett was unplayable with his pace, zip and back of a length channel while Christian stuck to his plethora of variations. Together, the duo nearly half gave Delhi a win over Kings XI Punjab on a slow surface.
Their trump card this season could be the manner in which they use their foreign all-rounders- Colin Munro, Glenn Maxwell, Chris Morris, Dan Christian and Liam Plunkett. Although they have been disgraceful so far, wholesale changes in the last game seem to have given them a better idea of resources at their disposal. Gambhir and Delhi will have to exploit them to the fullest to turn this season around.
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