New Delhi, March 7: In a bid to change their fate, Delhi Daredevils (DD) rechristened themselves to Delhi Capitals (DC) for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 season.
The Delhi Daredevils are the only team in the eleven editions of IPL to have the dubious distinction of never making it to the finals. The best they could reach was ending up semifinalists in 2008 and 2009. They managed to reach the playoffs in 2012 and finished third.
This year, under the leadership of young Shreyas Iyer and boosted with some fresh young talents, the team would be hoping to improve its performance. The Delhi franchise is brimming with match winners like Rishabh Pant, Colin Ingram, Shikhar Dhawan, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, and Trent Boult.
| IPL 2019 Special Site" />Final list of all 8 teams after IPL Auction 2019 | IPL 2019 Special Site
The franchise made some interesting buys in the IPL 2019 Auction and would be relying on seasoned campaigners like Dhawan, Ingram, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Hanuma Vihari, etc. for a change of fate this time around.
The Delhi-based franchise showed its faith in two-time IPL champion captain Gautam Gambhir last year, but the former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper stepped down as the captain midway through the tournament as the team couldn't get the desired results. Gambhir didn't even play for the side in the remainder of the tournament, making way for youngsters.
With no Gambhir this time around, Delhi Capitals would hope an improved show from another local boy, Shikhar Dhawan.
Here's all you need to know about DC for IPL 2019:
Home Ground: Feroz Shah Kotla
Squad strength: 25 (8 overseas)
Coach: Ricky Ponting
Players Bought IPL 2019 Auction:
Shikhar Dhawan (transfer)
Colin Ingram
Axar Patel
Hanuma Vihari
Sherfane Rutherford
Ishant Sharma
Keemo Paul
Jalaj Saxena
Ankush Bains
Nathu Singh
Bandaru Ayyappa
Players Retained: Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Manjot Kalra, Colin Munro, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Harshal Patel, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Sandeep Lamichhane, Avesh Khan.