Internet Desk: His heroics in the last over of the recently concluded World T20 final against England at Eden Gardens makes Carlos Braithwaite the most sought after player before the start of IPL season 9. The West Indies all-rounder will be the X-factor for Delhi Daredevils and his inclusion will definitely boost Daredevils chances of breaking the jinx.
With a new captain in Zaheer Khan, the franchise will be hoping to see a change in fortune. Daredevils will be one of the teams to watch out for in this year’s IPL. The team this year looks complete as a unit. The two time semi finalists will be looking to fill in the loopholes which have so far eluded them from clinching the coveted trophy.
Batting has always been a low-point for Daredevils, as it has let them down on numerous occasions. With Quinton de Kock coming into the tournament in good-touch, it gives the Daredevils a sure shot run-machine in their team as the wicketkeeper batsman loves scoring in Indian conditions. Another foreign player who could make a difference is JP Duminy, who can be quite dependable with the bat and can bowl part-time spin too. But what might be turn out to be the strongest part of the Delhi Daredevils team, could well be their all-rounders. In Chris Morris and the tall hard-hitting Carlos Brathwaite whose T20 World Cup final cameo is fresh in the minds of everyone, Daredevils have genuine match winners. Brathwaite can exploit bowlers at will and Morris has vastly improved as a cricketer in the last year or so.
The bowling unit spearheaded by Zaheer Khan looks quite strong. The inclusion of Australian Nathan Coulter-Nile will add fire in the bowling attack. Mohammed Shami, who was a traveller with the Indian team in World T20 will be determined to put up a good show for Daredevils this season. The spin attack though will bring in a lot of variation. Both Imran Tahir and Amit Mishra will have bigger responsibility on the slow tracks during IPL. Mishra who is the second highest wicket taker in the IPL with 111 wickets will have a bigger role to play. They will be supported by Pawan Negi and Shabaz Nadeem.
The key aspect for the Daredevils could be their bunch of home-grown talent. The list of Indian players includes the likes of Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair, Akhil Herwadkar and Sanju Samson, who have shown immense talent in the past and might go one step further this year by making the most of the opportunities. If these players shine this season, then the Daredevils could very soon become the team to beat in the tournament.
The biggest positive for the franchise will be the addition of Rahul Dravid who has been roped in as a mentor. To sum up, the Delhi Daredevils could well be the surprise package this tournament as they have a completely balanced squad coming into the IPL.
Squad:
Zaheer Khan (capt.), J-P. Duminy, Quinton de Kock, Imran Tahir, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Morris, Joel Paris, Sam Billings, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Shreyas Iyer, Akhil Herwadkar, Chama Milind, Karun Nair, Mahipal Lomror, Pawan Negi, Pawan Suyal, Pratyush Singh, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson and Syed Khaleel Ahmed.