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Likely Starting XI of Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024
Delhi Capitals made some intelligent buys in the IPL auction 2024. They were good with their strategy and looked for younger players, as usual. They got many players who might provide them the balance in the 17th edition. The crucial factor for DC would be to get all the players to play under one aim. Rishabh Pant would be crucial for it to happen. It is time to look at their probable playing XI in the IPL 2024.
Top order
DC has a lot of option at the top. they have the luxury of choosing young players to do the job. At the same time, they also have those who can step up and help the side with their experience. One such batter is David Warner, who has already been a legend in the league as a batter and as a captain. Since joining DC, Warner has been able to perform well as a batter without worrying about his spot in the XI.
In 2022, Warner had a great season as a batter. His partner in the season was Prithvi Shaw, who is likely to start in the XI. Shaw will be desperately wanting to have a stellar season as a batter, in order to put himself in the contention for the T20 WC 2024. Shaw will have to bat aggressively like he usually does, but also be consistent as a batter. He has to perform well, like he used to do till 2022.
If Shaw can step up, their opening can be lethal. But they also have a dangerous batter like Mitchell Marsh at number 3. He can provide some overs with the ball as well. With the bat Marsh has not shined in the IPL yet. DC want him to be at his best with the willow, like he was for Australia in the year 2023. If all the three of them get going, DC would be a lethal batting lineup at the top.
Middle order
After the aggressive batters at the top, there is more aggression to follow in DC, as they have Rishabh Pant at 4. His form is a concern, as it will be more than 14 months since he would have batted. Even in wicket keeping, his flow would be doubtful, given his fitness. He can definitely and will most likely lead DC in the 17th edition of the league. With the experience of having played in the league, Pant will be handy as a batter.
At number 5, DC is likely to play Harry Brook. The star batter from England did not have a great debut in the league in 2023. The price tag was not justified by Brook and his value came down. In DC, he can play a bit more freely due to not so high pressure and focus on him. If he can click in the first few games, Brook can be a valuable asset for DC. In finishing, DC has various options.
But they are likely to go with Abhishek Porel and Axar Patel, who did well in the previous season for DC. Porel is young and is only getting better from here. Axar was superb as a batter in 2023. DC would hope to see him bat like he usually does. If the duo can fire, DC would be one of the contenders to win the title. They have other options like Tristan Stubbs and Kumar Kushagra as well.
Lower order
With the ball, DC have a lot of world class bowling options. They have Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi from SA. Among the Indian pacers, they have the likes of Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, and Mukesh Kumar. Among them, DC is likely to go with Ishant at the top. In the PP overs, Ishant can be handy with his seam and swing bowling. He proved himself as a death bowler as well in the IPL 2023.
In case Ishant does not come good, DC can replace him with Khaleel Ahmed. To accompany Ishant would be Nortje. The fitness of the express pacer is a genuine concern. But he can be trusted to be fit by March. The key for DC would be to back him to deliver the goods. In the last couple of seasons, Anrich Nortje has not been able to give his best. 2024 would be a good chance for him to return to form.
In the death overs, DC has a trustable bowler like Mukesh Kumar. The Indian pacer has raised through the ranks in cricket for now and has become an All-format player for India. DC is likely to use Lalit Yadav as an impact player in case they need some extra runs. In the middle overs phase, DC trust on the spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav to do the job for them.
Here’s the probable playing XI of DC in IPL 2024 –
David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Harry Brook, Abhishek Porel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma
Impact player: Lalit Yadav
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Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry star in RCB women’s comeback win against UP Warriorz in WPL 2024
RCB women overcame UP Warriorz by 23 runs to clinch their third win of the season. The home side outperformed Warriorz in all the facets of the game and emerged victorious. A collective team effort, particularly with the bat, helped RCB women to beat Warriorz for the second time in the season. They now have three wins in their five matches in the WPL 2024.
Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to field first. Given how things have panned out in the league so far, it needed a great batting performance from RCB to challenge the chasing side. The home side did exactly that. They were full of intent which was lacking in the last few games. Right from the start, S Meghana and Smriti Mandhana smashed the bowlers.
It was the night of the RCB skipper. The Southpaw scored 80(50) in her stay. S Meghana perished after a valuable 28(21). Ellyse Perry batted well and registered her first fifty of the WPL 2024. She was aided well towards the end by Richa Ghosh whose 21(10) propelled RCB to a score of 198 on the board. It was the highest team total in the WPL 2024.
Alyssa Healy’s efforts go in vain
Chasing the daunting total, UP Warriorz were off to a flier. The opening duo of Healy and Kiran Navgire gave a fiery start to the visiting side. When the two were batting in the PP overs, it seemed like the Warriorz could pull off an insane chase. However, Sophie Devine brought RCB back into the game with crucial wickets. At Bengaluru, the home crowd was literally behind the RCB women.
It helped the home side to stay calm and do their job with ease. Sophie Molineux and Asha Sobhana were the pick of the bowlers, who claimed 2/29 each in their spell of four overs. While Healy scored a fifty and Deepti tried her best in the death overs, ten daunting targets could not be chased down. Despite the early hiccups, RCB managed to restrict UP Warriorz to a score of 175 and won by 23 runs.
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WATCH: Ellyse Perry in disbelief as her six breaks car’s window
Ellyse Perry smashed a six in the match against UP Warriorz in the WPL 2024. It was an interesting six as the ball travelled towards the boundary ropes and fell exactly on the window of the car. As a result, the glass of the window was broken. The car is set to be provided as a reward for the player of the tournament.
It was the over of Deepti Sharma towards the last few moments of RCB’s innings. Before Perry struck, the home side was in a great position in the match, thanks to a great start provided by Smriti Mandhana. The star batter scored 80 (50) and shined in front of the home crowd. Her form helped RCB to have a good momentum towards the death overs.
Watch the viral video here –
ELLYSE PERRY HAS BROKE THE GLASS OF THE CAR…!!! 🤯
– The reaction of Perry was priceless!! pic.twitter.com/zaxiQLLN1r
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 4, 2024
Perry, who was struggling till that point, opened up and smashed the bowlers for fun. She went hard against the spinners like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma who were asked to bowl at the death. The right-handed batter smashed back-to-back sixes in the over of Sharma. One of those travelled towards the mid-wicket region where the car was stationed. The video of her shot has gone viral on X.
RCB teammates laugh, Ellyse Perry in disbelief
As the ball fell on the car and damaged the window, the fans erupted. There was no end to the joy of the fans who started chanting “Perry.. Perry..” and lit the atmosphere of the stadium. However, Perry was in disbelief. As she saw the impact of the ball damaging the car’s window, the Australian batter could not believe her eyes and thought about what she had just done.
On the other hand, the RCB teammates of Perry were in awe of the shot. They looked at the replays and appreciated the shot of Perry. At the same time, players like Sophie Molineux and Sophie Devine had a laugh about the car’s window getting damaged. Ellyse scored a fifty and helped her team score 198 runs with her batting in front of the home crowd.
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Praveen Kumar addresses Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer’s negligence of taking part in Ranji Trophy
Praveen Kumar has given his opinion on the preferences of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in recent times. The duo did not take part in the Ranji Trophy matches for their respective teams despite being fit. It did not go well with the Indian Cricket Board which landed the duo without a ventral contract which was announced a few days back.
Praveen Kumar has reacted to the issue recently. The former India pacer claimed that he has been of an opinion on the issue for a long time. Praveen felt that one should definitely earn money but not at the cost of neglecting to play for domestic and national teams. The right-arm pacer felt that players today are having a certain mentality which is not good.
The former pacer claimed that the players have a mindset that they can rest for a month before taking part in the IPL, thereby bypassing playing for their national team or the domestic teams. Praveen felt that the players could not resist letting go of money which they could earn by taking part in the IPL and other T20 leagues (For foreign players).
‘Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun’ – Praveen Kumar
“This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun,” said Praveen in the interview. He claimed that youngsters these days are spoilt and are behind money. The former RCB pacer felt that it is not fair on the part of the young players to neglect the country over the IPL.
Kumar felt that a player needs to maintain a balance between playing for the IPL team and for the country. He felt that money is an important factor, but not at the cost of playing for the national team. “But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong,” said the former Indian bowler in the interview.
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