Strengths
The large Indian presence in the squad. The Delhi Capitals can, if they want, field an entire XI with only Indian players featuring in them.
This aspect of their squad bodes well for them as we have seen successful teams of the past triumph with a good group of Indian players shining for their respective sides.
Hopefully, with slow, sluggish conditions likely to greet teams in the UAE, the Indian talent in the squad will be able to deliver for the Capitals.
Weaknesses
The backup seam bowling options. The Capitals have a rich stock of front line fast bowlers in the form of Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul etc. But the backup, especially for Ishant and Rabada, may not perhaps be as potent as the original choice.
If something happens to Ishant, they may have to gamble on Avesh Khan, who impressed one-and-all in the 2016 U-19 World Cup but has done little of note since then in the IPL.
The franchise roped in Daniel Sams recently for Jason Roy and while he could be a decent cover for Rabada, it would be tough to expect him to have the same impact as the South African pace spearhead.
Opportunities
The Capitals outfit has many players with an opportunity to show their worth. Up at the top, Ajinkya Rahane will hope he gets his chances to show he still has it in him to play white-ball cricket.
Shikhar Dhawan will want to remain in the selector’s radar with good performances during the tournament. Ravichandran Ashwin, drafted in from Kings XI Punjab, will want to be among the wickets in the sluggish conditions of the UAE.
The tournament also gives Shreyas Iyer a chance to grow further in the leadership role. He was impressive in the way he handled things on the field last season and with Ricky Ponting by his side, he will hope to go the extra mile this time around.
Threats
While the Delhi Capitals have a potent squad to boast about, what they must hope for is to find a settled combination early.
When they went into the auctions last December, they had a superb Indian contingent in their squad and so, they could afford to splurge big on marquee overseas players. They went ahead and did just that, but now find themselves in a situation where they must try and accommodate most of them.
How they do that and find a string of consistent results is something everybody from the outside will be watching keenly.
