Delhi Capitals will fight for their maiden title in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020). Despite having the services of many T20 stars in the past, the Delhi-based team doesn’t boast off an excellent IPL record. In fact, DC, who were known as Delhi Daredevils till 2018, are the only side to have played even one IPL final despite playing all the previous 12 seasons.  Nevertheless, the franchise has a well-balanced team for the upcoming tournament which will be determined to break the jinx. The Shreyas Iyer-led team will begin their campaign against KL Rahul’s King XI Punjab at the Dubai International Stadium on September 20. Kings XI Punjab Likely Playing XI vs Delhi Capitals for Indian Premier League Match 2.

Delhi Daredevils changed their name to Delhi Capitals in IPL 2019 and their fortunes changed as well. The side performed consistently throughout the tournament and qualified for their first playoffs since 2012. However, Shreyas Iyer and Co would like to cross the final hurdle this time to get the glory. To gain momentum early in the tournament, DC must get off to a winning start against KXIP. As the match 2 of Dream11 IPL takes a countdown, let’s look at DC’s likely playing XI for their opening encounter. DC Team Profile for IPL 2020: Delhi Capitals Squad in UAE, Stats & Records and Full List of Players.

Openers: Shikar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw gave good starts to DC regularly in the previous tournament and they must be aiming to replicate their performance again. Both the batsmen can make maximum utilization of the powerplay overs, and the right-handed – left-handed combination will make bowlers’ job even more challenging. Delhi have another brilliant opener Ajinkya Rahane in the side. However, he isn’t likely to be the part of the initial XI.

Middle Order: Skipper Shreyas Iyer, who will have come out to bat at number three, will have to play the anchor role as his performance will be critical to DC’s success. Dynamic wicket-keeper batsman will play at the fourth position. The southpaw been a cornerstone of DC’s batting line-up in the past few years and will be determined to deliver in UAE too. Caribbean dasher Shimron Hetmyer will add more fire to the batting line up by coming at number five.

All-Rounders: Marcus Stoinis and Axar Patel are likely to be the two all-rounders in DC’s starting XI. The former has shown some good in the England vs Australia series which will boost up his morale. On the other hand, Patel can keep things tight in the middle overs and his ability with the willow makes him a great asset in T20Is.

Bowlers: Selecting the bowling line-up not be easy for Iyer and team management. Ishant Sharma and Kagiso Rabada are the obvious choices among pacers, but the problem arises in the spin department. With Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra in the ranks, DC have two quality Indian spinners. However, Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane has bowled exceptionally well in the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League and he must get chances in spin-friendly pitches of UAE. Despite the rich experience of Mishra, Ashwin will be the other spinner in the team.

Delhi Capitals Likely Playing XI Against Kings XI Punjab: Shikar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sandeep Lamichhane, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada

With such balance in the team, DC definitely are the front runners to win the upcoming tournament. However, they’ll have to come together as a unit to break their losing streak.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 15, 2020 01:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).