Delhi Capitals appeared to have finally addressed their ongoing struggle for a competitive edge when they made it to the second qualifier in 2019, reached the finals in 2020, and again got to the second qualifier in 2021, marking a promising start after rebranding from Delhi Daredevils. However, the following three years saw them unable to progress beyond the league stage. This slump prompted DC to change captains twice in five years, first swapping Shreyas Iyer for Rishabh Pant in 2021, and now replacing Pant with Axar Patel.

Before the mega auction in November last year, they parted ways with the high-profile Pant, but DC was one of the most active teams during the auction. They secured notable players like KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc, and Faf du Plessis, along with both seasoned veterans and emerging talents like Mohit Sharma, Ashutosh Sharma, and Karun Nair, who all made significant impacts. Overall, this means DC is heading into the season with a wealth of experience, including two former IPL captains in Rahul and Du Plessis.

Strength: A dynamic top four and a strong pace attack

DC might roll out a strong batting lineup this season featuring Jake Fraser-McGurk, Du Plessis, Rahul, and Tristan Stubbs. Captain Axar's crucial role at No.5 was key to India's Champions Trophy win, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him batting in that spot for DC too. If that happens, Stubbs will likely take the No.6 position. If not, both Axar and Stubbs would still fit nicely at No.5 and No.6, respectively. Although Harry Brook's last-minute withdrawal may have slightly weakened the batting depth, DC's top order is still impressive.

On the bowling front, DC has a clear leader in Starc for their pace attack, though he might be a bit out of practice since he hasn't played in nearly two months. Adding T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, and Dushmantha Chameera gives them a solid range of options. Plus, if Mohit Sharma can replicate his outstanding form from the 2023 season with the Gujarat Titans, he could elevate DC's performance significantly.

Weakness: Limited spin depth and issues with wicketkeeping

Don't get it twisted, DC has two top-notch spinners in Axar and Kuldeep Yadav who can turn the game around by themselves. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll notice there's a lack of experienced backup for these two.

KL Rahul seems to be the go-to guy for the gloves, and while that’s not necessarily a weak spot, it does raise eyebrows about why they decided to keep Abhishek Porel. There's a good chance DC might stick with Porel as their main wicketkeeper, and it'll be interesting to see if the 22-year-old can handle the pressure of being the team's first choice behind the stumps.

New Looks

Ashutosh Sharma may not be a total newcomer anymore since he played 11 games last season, but it’ll be exciting to see if he can replicate his performance for Punjab Kings this year. If he does, Abhishek could definitely be making a case for a spot on the Indian T20 team.

Forecast

Delhi Capitals definitely have the talent to get through the league stage, but there are some concerning depth issues in the team that raise doubts about their playoff potential. If either Kuldeep or Axar gets injured, their spin strategy could be in serious trouble, which would significantly cut their chances of success.

Here’s the full squad for Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Mitchell Starc, KL Rahul, Jake Fraser-McGurk, T. Natarajan, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Faf du Plessis, Mukesh Kumar, Darshan Nalkande, Vipraj Nigam, Dushmantha Chameera, Donovan Ferreira, Ajay Mandal, Manvanth Kumar, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari.

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