IPL 2023 recap: Pant-less DC finished ninth last season
Delhi Capitals (DC) have been one of the underachieving franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). With Rishabh Pant back at the helm of affairs, the Capitals will aim to lift the elusive silverware in IPL 2024. Meanwhile, DC had a forgettable IPL 2023 under David Warner's leadership. They finished ninth in the table. Here is the recap of DC's IPL 2023 campaign.
A ninth-place finish for DC
Having won just five of their 14 games, DC finished ninth in the 10-team standings. Their net run rate of -0.808 was the worst among all sides. They lost their first five games before managing five wins in their remaining nine outings. Nothing really went right for them as DC were among the first teams to crash out of the playoff race.
DC's struggles with the bat
DC were often off to a poor start as both their openers Warner and Prithvi Shaw could not maximize the field restrictions. As per ESPNcricinfo, Delhi's powerplay run rate of 8.23 was the third-worst among all teams last season. They lost the joint-second-most wickets in this phase (28). Meanwhile, the average strike rate of DC batters in overs between 16 and 20 was 124.72.
Performance of DC batters
Though Warner hammered 516 runs at 36.85 last season, his strike rate of 131.63 did not really help the Capitals. Interestingly, Axar Patel was DC's second-highest run-getter last season with 283 runs (SR: 139.4). Shaw managed just 106 runs at 13.25. Rilee Rossouw (209 runs at 29.85) and Philip Salt (218 runs at 27.25) were the others to cross the 200-run mark for DC.
The Rishabh Pant factor
DC missed Pant dearly last season. He is not only their leader but also a batting linchpin and a top wicket-keeper. He brings too many aspects to this team, and when he was ruled out due to an accident, it was a major blow to the franchise. No middle-order batter could stand up in his absence.
Struggles of DC bowlers
With 12 wickets, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was DC's highest wicket-taker last season. The same highlights DC's bowling woes. Though Axar contained runs, the left-arm spinner could only manage 11 wickets at 30.72. The case was similar with wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav (10 wickets at 36.1). While Anrich Nortje (10 at 36.4) and Khaleel Ahmed (9 at 33.44) struggled, Ishant Sharma (10 at 20.6) fared well.
