IPL 2021 (second phase): Analysis of Delhi Capitals
The second phase of the 2021 Indian Premier League will be underway on September 19 in the UAE. Delhi Capitals will resume their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The Rishabh Pant-led side are the front-runners to win the title this season. They were dominant right throughout the first half of the season. Here, we analyze their performance.
A look at their run so far
Delhi opened their campaign with a seven-wicket win against Chennai Super Kings. They lost to Rajasthan Royals but got back to winning ways later (beat Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians). DC then won the Super Over clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad. They lost the final-ball thriller to Royal Challengers Bangalore. Thereafter, DC won back-to-back games against Kolkata Knight Riders and PBKS respectively.
DC top the points table with 12 points
Delhi top the IPL 2021 standings with 12 points. They have won six and lost just two games till now. DC have a Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.547. They are followed by CSK, RCB and MI on the points table.
DC inches away from sealing the playoff berth
Ahead of the 2021 IPL season, Rishabh Pant replaced Shreyas Iyer as the captain of Delhi Capitals. The latter was ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury. Pant justified the management's decision by leading the side in the right direction. Now, the DC are a couple of wins away from sealing the playoff berth. They were the runners-up in IPL 2020.
Ben Dwarshuis replaces Chris Woakes at Delhi Capitals
Australia's Ben Dwarshuis was roped in by the Delhi Capitals for the rest of the IPL season. He replaced Chris Woakes, who had pulled out of the remaining matches citing personal reasons. Dwarshuis has experience in T20 cricket, having claimed 100 wickets in 82 matches. He has a bowling average of 23.73 with the best match haul of 4/13.
Here are the top performers
Delhi Capitals' opener Shikhar Dhawan is the leading run-scorer in the season thus far. He has racked up 380 runs from eight matches at an incredible average of 54.28. The tally includes three 50+ scores. In the bowling department, fast bowler Avesh Khan has been the standout performer. He has been a revelation this season, having taken 14 wickets at just 16.50.
