If there was a trophy for the best balanced team in the IPL, Delhi Capitals would get it even before the first ball is bowled in the 2021 chapter of the tournament.

Interestingly, they are perhaps the only team this year who can dare to field an all Indian XI if they want to. Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav — there you have nine of the best active Indian players at the moment. Throw in a couple of rookies like Vishnu Vinod and Lukman Meriwala in the mix, and the Capitals will be ready with a team made up of only Indian players.

That said, there’s no ignoring the overseas talent at their disposal. In Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje they have two fiery fast bowlers, Marcus Stoinis is one of the better all-rounders in world cricket at the moment, Shimron Hetmyer is an extremely talented batsman and new acquisition Steve Smith needs little introduction. Along with them, there’s also Tom Curran, Chris Woakes and Sam Billings.

With such a well-balanced squad, Delhi Capitals, runners-up of last year, cannot be blamed if they are already dreaming of the IPL 2021 title.

On the flip side, however, there’s the worry of missing Shreyas Iyer for the entire duration of the tournament this time. Iyer was not just a very trustworthy captain who led the side admirably last season, he was also among the top five run scorers in IPL 2020.

Young Pant has been asked to wear the captain’s cap for this edition. While there’s no questioning the in-form wicketkeeper-batsman’s significance in the team, one isn’t sure if he would be able to balance captaincy and his exciting brand of cricket simultaneously. But the last few months have seen the rise of a new Pant, one who has suddenly matured as a cricketer, and that’s good news for the Capitals.

Pant will need a lot of help from head coach Ricky Ponting in terms of team selection. It’s good to have many options, but picking the right ones still involves skill.

For example, Capitals have three very good spinners in Mishra, Ashwin and Patel. It will not be easy to decide whom to leave out, though Patel will be missing the first few matches as he is down with Covid-19.

There will be similar dilemmas in choosing the four overseas players in the XI. South Africans Rabada and Nortje were regulars last year and Stoinis has got Ponting’s trust. Smith and Hetmyer will be vying for the fourth spot primarily. While Smith comes with a huge reputation, Hetmyer is not one to be ignored and he had shown glimpses of his talent last year.

In Amit Mishra and Ashwin Capitals have two of the best spinners in the country. (Picture courtesy: Delhi Capitals)

Ravichandran Ashwin (Picture courtesy: Delhi Capitals)

Rishabh Pant (Picture courtesy: IPL/Delhi Capitals)

Steve Smith (Picture courtesy: IPL/Delhi Capitals)

Marcus Stoinis (Picture courtesy: IPL/Delhi Capitals)

Shikhar Dhawan (Picture courtesy: IPL/Delhi Capitals)

Lessons from IPL 2020

⚫ Delhi Capitals were unstoppable in the first half of the last IPL, but in the second half they were pretty ordinary. The drastic fall in their game was inexplicable. They had almost the same team in the two halves of IPL 2020, but the quality of cricket was not the same. One assumes they lost focus and once they lost a game or two, they did not know how to get out of the crisis. Ponting and the other members of the coaching staff will have to work on the mindset of the players better this time.

⚫ Though the team had Dhawan and Iyer scoring a lot of runs in the top half of the batting order last time, Capitals paid the price of not being able to find consistency in their top order. Shaw flattered to deceive last year, neither was Rahane of any help. With Iyer missing this time, one assumes Smith will have a big role to play to bolster Capitals’ batting. They would also hope that Shaw, who has been in sizzling form in the domestic circuit, does justice to his talent this year. Without stability in batting, it is almost impossible to aim high in T20s.

Last year’s finish: Runners-up

X-factor

Who else but Pant? Between the last edition of the IPL (where he lacked the spark and punch) and this, the 23-year-old has rediscovered himself as a batsman and a cricketer. He was always capable of playing the big shots, but nowadays he mixes brain with brawn. He oozes confidence like never before and is not even intimidated by the best bowlers in the world. He has already been promoted to captaincy, perhaps it's time Ponting promotes him up the batting order as well. Both as captain and batsman, Pant’s success or failure will surely impact his team.

Pant in IPL

⚫ Mts 68 n Runs 2079 n HS 128* n Avg 35.23 n S/r 151.97

⚫ Hundreds 1 n Fifties 12

Pant in T20s (overall)

⚫ Mts 116 n Runs 3120 n HS 128* n Avg 32.50 n S/r 149.21

⚫ Hundreds 2 n Fifties 18