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Cricket News: Delhi Capitals possible XI vs MI without Warner and Marsh | The DC possible XI in the absense of their key players

The most lucrative T20 league, the Indian Premier League, is upon us. As we know, this time it’s going be a ten-team battle for the prestigious trophy and therefore, the fans are eagerly waiting to witness a greater number of thrilling encounters.

Meanwhile, one of the most improved IPL team in recent times, the Delhi Capitals are on a spot of bother as they are going to miss five of their star players in the first few games due to several reasons. While David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Lungi Ngidi and Mustafizur Rehman will miss the first few games owing to national commitment, Anrich Nortje is also doubtful to be available as he hasn’t recovered from hip injury yet. Therefore, a lot of discussion is surfaced regarding the best possible starting XI of DC in the absence of these key overseas players.

Let’s find out the same by considering some crucial factors.

DC Possible XI for first match of IPL 2022 against MI

Openers: Prithvi Shaw and Tim Seifert

Honestly, Delhi can’t ask for a more destructive opening pair. Although they have domestic options in Mandeep Singh and Yash Dhull, I feel they should consider Tim Seifert for the opener’s job in the absence of David Warner. Seifert is someone who can capitalize on the powerplay to the utmost extent and moreover, he is a fearless batter.

As DC don’t have a formidable bowling attack in the absence of their star overseas bowlers, they need to be aggressive up front with the bat and Seifert is the best available option for them in this regard.

Number 3: Sarfaraz Khan  

Some of you might disagree with me on choosing Sarfaraz Khan to bat at 3, but the kind of form he is in right now, he should be given a chance to prove his worth. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, the dynamic Mumbai batter amassed 551 runs from just six innings and is currently occupying third spot in the list of highest run-getters in the tournament.

Sarfaraz is a brilliant batter against spin, has the ability of playing unorthodox shots all around the park and moreover, he is the best domestic option to be used at 3.

Middle order: Rishabh Pant, Rovman Powell, Lalit Yadav

Rishabh Pant is obviously going to be slotted at number 4. I would like DC to have Rovman Powell and Lalit Yadav as finishers. Powell recently rose to fame after his blistering T20I hundred against England this year. The West Indian is famous for his ability of hitting nonchalant sixes. On the other hand, Lalit Yadav is an obvious first choice for the batting allrounder’s spot in the absence of Mitchell Marsh as he can score some handy runs coming lower down the order and act as the sixth bowling option as well.

5 bowlers: Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Chetan Sakariya

Unlike previous years, the bowling line up of DC is going to be their nemesis this time in the first few games as they will be missing their overseas bowlers. Still, they have to resolve this issue any way, for which I feel the mentioned names are going to be their first-choice bowlers. Axar and Kuldeep will be the key for the Delhi side in the middle overs. The job of Khaleel and Sakariya will be to provide early breakthroughs in the powerplay, with Shardul’s variation playing an important role in the death overs.

In the absence of key stars, Shardul, who is a strong contender for the Purple Cap, needs to deliver.

DC possible playing XI vs MI:

Prithvi Shaw, Tim Seifert, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rovman Powell, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Chetan Sakariya

Written by Debashish Sarangi. Follow Debashish on Twitter today