The last transfer window of IPL 2020 finally ended on Thursday, where teams
mutually decided to trade players between each other. Delhi Capitals made some
of the biggest transfers in the window, acquiring some big names of cricket
which is likely to result in DC becoming one of the IPL betting odds
favourites. Throughout the process, the team seemed self-aware of its problems
with making runs and a weak batting line-up, especially the middle-order.
The
Transfers
Delhi Capitals seemed to be the most active team during the transfer
window. In the earlier transfer, it had traded Sherfane Rutherford for Mayank
Makrande from Mumbai Indians. However, his short stint at Delhi Capitals ended
when the team traded him and Rahul Tewatia for the coveted Ajinkya Rahane from
Rajasthan Royals. Rahane has been one of the top players of IPL since its
inception in 2008. Securing him was quite a big win for Delhi Capitals, even if
it came at the cost of two players.
The other big transfer Delhi Capitals was able to make was getting
Ravichandra Ashwin from Kings XI Punjab for Jagadeesha Suchith. Ashwin had a
rather lackluster IPL season in 2019, where he was also captaining the Punjab
side. Despite this, he is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the
tournament. Without the burden of captainship, maybe the star-bowler can be a
lethal surprise. The inclusion of Ashwin may just propel the Capitals to be odds
on favourites to win the IPL. From a Cricket Betting standpoint, DC is a great bet.
Suchith was a late entrant to the previous season, joining the playing XI
only after Harshal Patel was ruled out due to an injury. In the single game he
managed to play, he secured 2 wickets. While he has potential, maybe Delhi was
in the mood of getting the larger star.
Delhi Capitals also transferred left-arm fast bowler Trent Boult to Mumbai Indians,
who will maintain his salary of Rs. 2.2 crore. Boult, despite being one of the
premiere bowlers in the T20 game, failed to spread his magic for Delhi Capitals
last season. He managed only 5 wickets in 5 matches while being expensive with
runs.
The Need for
Runs
Despite a rather good performance in their previous IPL, Delhi Capitals
really struggled when it came to runs. Among all teams, they had the
second-lowest average runs per over during the season. This happened despite
having some amazing names on their roster. Shikhar Dhawan, the star player of the team,
made an impressive total of 521 runs last season. He was supported by the
rising star Prithwi Shaw (who made 353 runs in 16 matches) and Shreyas Iyer.
The problem was the middle order, where wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant
seemed to be the only one stopping the team from crumbling.
The inclusion of Ajinkya Rahane could be the boost they need to finally
swell up among the ranks. Rahane had a consistently great performance last
season, scoring 393 runs in 14 matches with one century. With his caliber and
experience, Delhi Capitals could manage their run problem.
With the transfer window closed, everyone’s eyes are on the upcoming player
auctions in December. With Rs. 7.7 crore in its kitty, Delhi Capitals has the highest remaining funds and will hope to
further add some talent to its squad.
