Phew! That was an intense auction, wasn’t it? After lots of paddle raising, numerous bidding wars and serious discussions, the new-look DC squad is complete. 24 cricketing gems from across the world, some proven match-winners and as is always the case with Delhi, lots of exciting youngsters!
Before the Mega Auction, we discussed the gaps DC needed to fill to have a balanced squad capable of going after that elusive title. With all the buying done, let’s look at how the new DC squad stacks up.
The Power-packed batters and a DC starlet
The IPL 2022 Auction couldn’t have started in a better way for us, as we executed arguably one of the best bargains in the history of the IPL when we snapped up the Player of the Tournament from the 2021 T20 World Cup, David Warner, for just ₹ 6.25 Cr!
Braving off the challenge from CSK and MI, the DC management displayed tremendous clarity of thought in going after the mercurial opener from the get-go. That astute piece of business means Warner and Prithvi will be our openers this season, a pairing that will surely leave the opposition sweating.
We managed to put together a strong set of domestic middle-order batsmen. Both Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan are capable of playing anywhere from positions 4-7, which offers us great flexibility. Their ability to hit big and clear the fence will hold them in good stead come the season.
With one eye on the future, DC Academy prodigy and U-19 World Cup winning captain Yash Dhull was bought for ₹ 50 L as well. The young gun will benefit greatly from being in the group and learning from the very best, and his presence gives us an option at No.3 in case we need an Indian player at the top.
Another domestic talent that comes to DC is Andhra batter Ashwin Hebbar. He has impressed in the domestic circuit, and it will be interesting to see how he develops throughout the season.
All-action all-rounders
Going into the auction, we needed a pace-bowling all-rounder that can bat in the top 6 and bowl a few overs, and that target turned into reality when we got the Man of the Moment, Mitch Marsh. The Aussie star is in the form of his life and comes into the squad fresh from a T20 World Cup that saw him win the Player of the Match accolade in the final.
Marsh’s arrival means we have a perfect candidate for the No.3 slot. He has flourished in that role for the Aussies, and the presence of Warner at the top means he will also have a known face for company. The fact that Marsh can bowl a few overs of seam-up if required will do wonders no matter what Playing XI DC put out.
If Mitch Marsh ticks all the right boxes for a top-order all-rounder, West Indian gun Rovman Powell does the same when it comes to finishers. The all-action Jamaican packs a punch in each shot he plays and has shown how destructive he can be for both the West Indies and in franchise leagues across the globe. Powell will be expected to bat at No.5 or No.6 for DC, and can act as the 6th bowling option along with Marsh.
Moving on to our most expensive buy of the auction, DC fans were ecstatic after the DC Auction Party managed to get Shardul ‘Lord’ Thakur. The tenacious pacer has grown by leaps and bounds over the last year, establishing himself as one of the few fast bowlers in India capable of contributing with the bat. Thakur’s signing means DC have an ideal No.7 or No.8, giving the team a great option down the order while his knack of picking wickets and breaking partnerships is second to none.
The DC think tank is spoilt for choice when it comes to all-rounders, particularly because we managed to get back a few familiar faces. Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel and Pravin Dubey are names all DC fans are well versed with, and in them, we have domestic options for spin and pace bowling all-rounders if the need arises.
A bowling attack packed with options
A strong theme from our last cycle was the variety in bowling our squad possessed. It’s great to see that continue, with DC coming out of the auction with bowlers that gives the management flexibility while choosing a Playing XI.
Anrich Nortje has fellow Proteas pacer Lungi Ngidi for company in case we want to pair the two South Africans together. Great T20 sides always seem to have a left-arm seamer that can offer them something different, and we have gotten one of the best in business in the form of Mustafizur Rahman.
If the team warrants an Indian left-arm option, we are stacked in that department as well with the signings of Khaleel Ahmed and Chetan Sakariya.
DC fans have gotten used to bowlers breathing fire over the years, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti is another one in that mould, one that will keep the speed gun busy. He will surely benefit from the presence of Anrich Nortje and expect him to come into his own this season.
Coming to the tweakers, we have Kuldeep Yadav to call upon, and the left-arm Chinaman will look to make a mark in the upcoming season. He has another U-19 World Cup winning star for company, with DC snapping up Vicky Ostwal as their last signing late on Day 2.
A strong Keeper’s Union
With #RP17, we had our keeper-batsman slot sorted even before going into the auction. Despite that, we have done tremendously well in adding two keepers that open up a lot of options for us tactically.
KS Bharat’s signing means we have an Indian keeper capable of batting at No.3, while the aggressive Tim Seifert gives us an overseas alternative in case one of our Indian keepers has to miss out.
An auction to remember for DC off the field
The IPL 2022 Auction will long live in the memory of fans, and not just because of the solid team we have managed to assemble. Throughout the event, we did our best to give back to the city, and execute something that truly imbibes the spirit of Delhi.
Our social media campaign #UmmeedonWaliNayiDilli meant the true change-makers from Delhi got a well-deserved tribute and a shout-out about their noble work at a time when all the eyeballs were on us.
As we went about hoping to build the perfect squad, each player announcement featured a video from some of the good Samaritans and NGOs who provide hope and help to people in crisis and make our city a better place.
We hope that the squad we assembled can deliver, and we also wish that all the stories we shared of these beautiful souls can touch the lives of the people of this city and they can find it in themselves to help the people in need in any way they can.
In true DC style, DC fans were also in on the action, sharing some quirky messages that captured the city’s mood perfectly as we welcomed new players!
All said and done, we can’t wait for IPL 2022 to start. Bring it on!
Phew! That was an intense auction, wasn’t it? After lots of paddle raising, numerous bidding wars and serious discussions, the new-look DC squad is complete. 24 cricketing gems from across the world, some proven match-winners and as is always the case with Delhi, lots of exciting youngsters!
Before the Mega Auction, we discussed the gaps DC needed to fill to have a balanced squad capable of going after that elusive title. With all the buying done, let’s look at how the new DC squad stacks up.
The Power-packed batters and a DC starlet
The IPL 2022 Auction couldn’t have started in a better way for us, as we executed arguably one of the best bargains in the history of the IPL when we snapped up the Player of the Tournament from the 2021 T20 World Cup, David Warner, for just ₹ 6.25 Cr!
Braving off the challenge from CSK and MI, the DC management displayed tremendous clarity of thought in going after the mercurial opener from the get-go. That astute piece of business means Warner and Prithvi will be our openers this season, a pairing that will surely leave the opposition sweating.
We managed to put together a strong set of domestic middle-order batsmen. Both Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan are capable of playing anywhere from positions 4-7, which offers us great flexibility. Their ability to hit big and clear the fence will hold them in good stead come the season.
With one eye on the future, DC Academy prodigy and U-19 World Cup winning captain Yash Dhull was bought for ₹ 50 L as well. The young gun will benefit greatly from being in the group and learning from the very best, and his presence gives us an option at No.3 in case we need an Indian player at the top.
Another domestic talent that comes to DC is Andhra batter Ashwin Hebbar. He has impressed in the domestic circuit, and it will be interesting to see how he develops throughout the season.
All-action all-rounders
Going into the auction, we needed a pace-bowling all-rounder that can bat in the top 6 and bowl a few overs, and that target turned into reality when we got the Man of the Moment, Mitch Marsh. The Aussie star is in the form of his life and comes into the squad fresh from a T20 World Cup that saw him win the Player of the Match accolade in the final.
Marsh’s arrival means we have a perfect candidate for the No.3 slot. He has flourished in that role for the Aussies, and the presence of Warner at the top means he will also have a known face for company. The fact that Marsh can bowl a few overs of seam-up if required will do wonders no matter what Playing XI DC put out.
If Mitch Marsh ticks all the right boxes for a top-order all-rounder, West Indian gun Rovman Powell does the same when it comes to finishers. The all-action Jamaican packs a punch in each shot he plays and has shown how destructive he can be for both the West Indies and in franchise leagues across the globe. Powell will be expected to bat at No.5 or No.6 for DC, and can act as the 6th bowling option along with Marsh.
Moving on to our most expensive buy of the auction, DC fans were ecstatic after the DC Auction Party managed to get Shardul ‘Lord’ Thakur. The tenacious pacer has grown by leaps and bounds over the last year, establishing himself as one of the few fast bowlers in India capable of contributing with the bat. Thakur’s signing means DC have an ideal No.7 or No.8, giving the team a great option down the order while his knack of picking wickets and breaking partnerships is second to none.
The DC think tank is spoilt for choice when it comes to all-rounders, particularly because we managed to get back a few familiar faces. Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel and Pravin Dubey are names all DC fans are well versed with, and in them, we have domestic options for spin and pace bowling all-rounders if the need arises.
A bowling attack packed with options
A strong theme from our last cycle was the variety in bowling our squad possessed. It’s great to see that continue, with DC coming out of the auction with bowlers that gives the management flexibility while choosing a Playing XI.
Anrich Nortje has fellow Proteas pacer Lungi Ngidi for company in case we want to pair the two South Africans together. Great T20 sides always seem to have a left-arm seamer that can offer them something different, and we have gotten one of the best in business in the form of Mustafizur Rahman.
If the team warrants an Indian left-arm option, we are stacked in that department as well with the signings of Khaleel Ahmed and Chetan Sakariya.
DC fans have gotten used to bowlers breathing fire over the years, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti is another one in that mould, one that will keep the speed gun busy. He will surely benefit from the presence of Anrich Nortje and expect him to come into his own this season.
Coming to the tweakers, we have Kuldeep Yadav to call upon, and the left-arm Chinaman will look to make a mark in the upcoming season. He has another U-19 World Cup winning star for company, with DC snapping up Vicky Ostwal as their last signing late on Day 2.
A strong Keeper’s Union
With #RP17, we had our keeper-batsman slot sorted even before going into the auction. Despite that, we have done tremendously well in adding two keepers that open up a lot of options for us tactically.
KS Bharat’s signing means we have an Indian keeper capable of batting at No.3, while the aggressive Tim Seifert gives us an overseas alternative in case one of our Indian keepers has to miss out.
An auction to remember for DC off the field
The IPL 2022 Auction will long live in the memory of fans, and not just because of the solid team we have managed to assemble. Throughout the event, we did our best to give back to the city, and execute something that truly imbibes the spirit of Delhi.
Our social media campaign #UmmeedonWaliNayiDilli meant the true change-makers from Delhi got a well-deserved tribute and a shout-out about their noble work at a time when all the eyeballs were on us.
As we went about hoping to build the perfect squad, each player announcement featured a video from some of the good Samaritans and NGOs who provide hope and help to people in crisis and make our city a better place.
We hope that the squad we assembled can deliver, and we also wish that all the stories we shared of these beautiful souls can touch the lives of the people of this city and they can find it in themselves to help the people in need in any way they can.
In true DC style, DC fans were also in on the action, sharing some quirky messages that captured the city’s mood perfectly as we welcomed new players!
All said and done, we can’t wait for IPL 2022 to start. Bring it on!
