Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals had a glorious run in the league phase of last year’s IPL, winning 10 of their 14 matches, before losing steam in the playoffs.

The franchise lost some of their key players like Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Ravichandran Ashwin and Kagiso Rabada by deciding to retain Pant, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw and Anrich Nortje before heading into the mega auction.

Nevertheless, they have some quality players in their ranks and if they play to potential, could go the distance this time.

Player availability is going to be the key for the Capitals, at least in the first half of the tournament. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh will miss their first two/three games because of national commitments and quarantine protocols. Lungi Ngidi and Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman are part of the limited overs series in South Africa and will also be unavailable for the first match.

Moreover, the injured Nortje is unlikely to be available before April 7, when the Capitals take on Lucknow Super Giants at DY Patil Stadium. The Capitals will have only two of their seven foreign players available for their opener against Mumbai Indians on Sunday.

Strengths

In David Warner, the Capitals have a like-for-like replacement for Dhawan. Mitch Marsh has also been an important addition, given his exploits in the T20 World Cup in the UAE.

Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitch Marsh and Pant will form a solid top-order, and if even one of them clicks, things should fall into place. New Zealand’s Tim Seifert could come in for Warner in the first few matches while there is no dearth of talent among their domestic recruits.

Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, KS Bharat or Yash Dhull are promising and could form the core of the middle order. Sarfaraz, Mandeep and Bharat have shown their potential in the previous editions while for Dhull it will be a fresh challenge. The role of head coach Ricky Ponting will be crucial in bringing the best out of them.

Having shown his potential in leading India to the U-19 World Cup triumph in the West Indies recently, Dhull has taken the first step to achieving bigger goals. What followed was twin hundreds on his first-class debut and an unbeaten 200 in his third match for Delhi. Besides possessing a good technique and temperament, Dhull can be explosive if the occasion demands.

Rovman Powell is known to play the role of a finisher to perfection but how he adjusts to the wickets will have to be watched. Pant too can play the role of a finisher if the situation demands. But it will be his captaincy that will be closely monitored because of long-term ramifications.

Nortje made the difference for the Capitals last season with his discipline and wicket-taking abilities. He will miss the first few matches but Shardul Thakur has been a significant addition. He will be useful in the Powerplay overs and the slog besides his ability to provide the fireworks with the bat.

Ngidi and Mustafizur will provide more pace options along with left-arm quick Khaleel Ahmed.

Concerns

The spin department looks thin on experience. Apart from Axar Patel, there’s no spinner of note. Kuldeep Yadav’s form is a worry and a lot will also depend on young left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal, who was India’s leading wicket-taker at the U-19 World Cup with 12 scalps from six games.

Key men: Rishabh Pant, Anrich Nortje, Mitch Marsh