IPL 2021 Phase 2: Best Playing 11 for Delhi Capitals (DC) – Iyer Returns

Rishabh Pant to continue as captain as we look at the best predicted playing 11 for Delhi Capitals (DC) for phase 2 of IPL 2021 in UAE.

Having suffered a major breakthrough ahead of IPL 2021 with their first-choice captain Shreyas Iyer missing from the squad, Delhi Capitals have ended Phase 1 of IPL 2021 on a high. Under the dynamic leadership of Rishabh Pant, Delhi Capitals are currently at number 1 in the points table with 6 wins from 8 games. 

With the team-high confidence, Shreyas Iyer, who missed the IPL 2021 so far is back to playing with the team. However, not officially, but Delhi Capitals have already made a big announcement that Shreyas Iyer won’t continue as captain for the remainder of IPL 2021. This is certainly a big statement with the management wanting to continue with Pant. 

Apart from this major change, Delhi Capitals have not made any changes to their squad. All their players are available, and roaring to go. So, what could be the best predicted playing 11 for Delhi Capitals for phase 2 of IPL 2021? Let’s find out in this article. Before that, let’s quickly skim through their squad for IPL 2021. 

IPL 2021 Final Squad for Delhi Capitals (DC)   

Batsmen: Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant (C&WK), Sam Billings (WK), Shikhar Dhawan, Shimron Hetmyer, Shreyas Iyer, Steve Smith & Vishnu Vinod (WK)

All-rounders: Axar Patel, Chris Woakes, Lalit Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ripal Patel & Tom Curran

Bowlers: Amit Mishra, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddharth, Pravin Dubey & Umesh Yadav.

Openers: Shikhar Dhawan & Prithvi Shaw

Probably the best opening pair of the competition so far, Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw shall continue as the opening pair for phase 2 of IPL 2021 too. Both Dhawan and Shaw have been quite impressive in the first leg so far having scored runs in bulk. 

While Dhawan is the leading run-scorer with 380 runs from just 8 innings, Shaw isn’t far either with 308 runs from 8 innings. While Dhawan is better on average at 54.3, Shaw is better on strike rate at 166.5. It’s a delight to see Shaw return to form after a disastrous IPL 2020 campaign. 

Middle-order: Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant & Shimron Hetmyer

The return of Shreyas Iyer means the consolidator in the form of Steve Smith may not be needed at number 3. Instead, team will be prompted to play the aggressive Shimron Hetmyer at number 5. This is definitely not a bad strategy as we had seen in 2020 too. Moreover, Hetmyer’s current form is also quite good. 

An interesting thing would be to see how captain Rishabh Pant adopts his game for the second leg with Shreyas Iyer back in the squad. Pant hasn’t been as aggressive as he usually is. So far he has scored 218 runs from 8 innings at a strike rate of 132, which isn’t that bad though. 

All-rounders: Marcus Stoinis & Axar Patel

Marcus Stoinis hasn’t had the bests outing so far in IPL 2021, but he would still continue as the leading all-rounder of the team. To support him shall be Axar Patel, who was impressive in the first 4 matches, but missed the next 4 due to injury. But he still continues to be a top-notch spinner in the T20s. 

Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Ravichandran Ashwin, Anrich Nortje & Avesh Khan

The pace department shall see no other than the trio of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Avesh Khan. While Kagiso Rabada and Anirch Nortje continue to lead the pace attack, Avesh Khan has surprised everyone by being their best pacer so far in the competition. Overall, Avesh Khan has taken the maximum wickets with 14 to his name. Rabada is quite far with 8 wickets. 

The important question for Delhi Capitals shall be the selection of the second spinner. Will they go with the leg-spin of Wiley Amit Mishra or do they go with the current best off-spinner in the world, Ravichandran Ashwin.

It’s a difficult choice to make. But Delhi Capitals should persist with Ashwin for the initial few matches. After missing the England Test Series, Ashwin must be pumped up to perform well. What better than IPL 2021 to do so? 

Best Predicted Playing 11 for Delhi Capitals (DC) for Phase 2 of IPL 2021 in UAE:

Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw,  Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (C&WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje & Avesh Khan. 

So, that completes the best predicted playing 11 for Delhi Capitals (DC) for phase 2 of IPL 2021. The main question for Delhi Capitals would be whether to play David Ravichandran Ashwin or Amit Mishra. Nevertheless, barring the above-mentioned ideal predicted playing 11, Delhi Capitals can also try for the following combinations. 

• Steve Smith or Sam Billings for Shimron Hetmyer 
• Chris Woakes for Anrich Nortje based on the current form of Chris Woakes
• Amit Mishra for Ravichandran Ashwin looking at the IPL 2021 phase 1 performance

Thanks for reading! What’s your playing 11 for Delhi Capitals (DC) for the second leg of IPL 2021 UAE? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com

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