IPL 2023: What is wrong with Delhi Capitals this season?

Delhi Capitals are in massive trouble this season. They have lost five of their first five matches so far this season are languishing at the bottom of the IPL table.

It has been an abysmal start for Delhi as they have been beaten comprehensively in most of their matches. The Capitals do have a strong squad. Yes, they are missing their captain Rishabh Pant, but if you look at their squad, there are some quality players in it.

David Warner is captaining them this season amid Rishabh Pant's absence. And along with him, there are some big overseas names like Rovman Powell, Rilee Rossouw, Mustafizur Rahman in their ranks. Among the Indian players, there are Prithvi Shaw, Manish Pandey, Kuldeep Yadav and others.

Then what is the issue with Delhi Capitals? Why are they looking so pale and lacklustre in every match? Let's take a deeper look at it.

Delhi and their Batting Woes

Delhi Capitals are struggling with the bat. The forms of their batters have been awful, to say the least. David Warner has amassed 228 runs but at a strike rate of 117, which is not good enough at this level.

But without Warner, their batters have struggled big time. Prithvi Shaw, one of the biggest batting pillars of DC has just managed 34 runs in 5 innings. While the likes of Yash Dhull, and Manish Pandey have capitulated, Rovman Powell and Rilee Rossouw - their two overseas batting pillars have also failed to make an impact.

The collective batting failure this season needs an antidote. They have Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly as coach and DOC respectively, and despite having two batting stalwarts as mentors, their batting capitulation is baffling.

Too Much dependence on Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant's absence is exposing the impact of the player when he was fit. Pant's injury has left him out of action for a long time, and as he misses IPL 2023, Delhi have struggled to replace him as a batter.

Young Abhishek Porel was roped in as a replacement, but his impact so far has been only in bits and pieces. Pant's class and composure behind the stumps, along with his destructive ability with the bat make him an indispensable part of the squad - and DC are struggling without him.

A Collective Lack of Onus

Delhi Capitals camp don't have a player who can take the onus and stand tall in adverse situations. Their overseas players have had a minimal effect so far and it is a big issue.

In these matches so far, they have lacked players to revive themselves. The squad has seemed disappointing and lacking confidence. Players like Rilee Rossouw, Rovman Powell, who have done extremely well in other tournaments, so far have failed to replicate their previous performances.

Even in the last match against RCB, after restricting the Bangalore side to a modest total of 174, they had the worst start to their chase and were 30/4 at one stage. It clearly depicts the lack of confidence in the entire squad, which has played a big part in their downfall so far.