What the Delhi Daredevils need to do for next year?

The easiest way to figure this out is to simply look at all things that went wrong in IPL3.

Batting

Collective Failure

First and foremost the batting which let us down time and time again, especially when chasing.

That the Delhi team has just one batsman in the top 20 run getters is clearly indicative of the collective failure. Out of the 4 semi-finalists, Chennai had 4 batsmen in the top 20, while the other 3 sides had three each.

AB de Villiers and Tillekratne Dilshan

Amongst the batsmen, the biggest disappointments were AB de Villiers, Tillekratne Dilshan and the various domestic players who were tried in the number six position.

After failing in the first edition in India, Dilshan and de Villiers had impressed in South Africa. Back in India, their form nosedived horrendously, pointing perhaps to an inability to adapt to Indian conditions. Future editions are going to be played in India only and Delhi cannot afford to have international batsmen who struggle on the slow sub-continent pitches. The South African has been known to struggle against spinners and was all at sea in this year’s IPL. On the other hand, Tillekratne is not known to have any such weaknesses and his struggles can probably be attributed to a temporary loss in form. Taking that into account, Delhi should persist with the Sri Lankan and find a replacement for de Villiers.

Lacking another quality Indian batsman

The form of the domestic batsman was also a concern and needs to be addressed. Mithun Manhas has been a dutiful servant of Delhi cricket but he is limited and cannot fill the crucial number six position. Amongst the others, Kedar Jadhav played one good innings while Yogesh Nagar never looked like he belonged to this level.

Delhi’s shortage of quality domestic batsmen is of their own doing. In the last two years, they have shipped out Shikhar Dhawan and Manoj Tiwary – two players who have great domestic records and have been India probables – but have never replaced them with a batsman of the same ability. The lack of another quality Indian batsman also means that there is no one worthy enough to replace the trio of Sehwag, Gambhir or Karthik, if one of them is injured or out of form.

While finding the batsman will be a priority, it won’t be easy; especially given that there will be two more teams in 2011 and everyone will be chasing the available players. Delhi will have to target the out of contract players aggressively; try convincing someone like Virat Kohli to return home or offer someone like Abhishek Nayar (on the bench mostly for Mumbai) a chance to play regularly. Failing all of that, they will simply have to try and unearth another gem from somewhere – like they did with Umesh Yadav this year.

All –rounders

Technically, the Daredevils had 5 international and one domestic all-rounder in their ranks but didn’t have a single one who could be called world class; capable of winning games with bat or bowl – someone in the same category as a Kieron Pollard, Andrew Symonds, Albie Morkel, Shane Watson, Jacques Kallis, Angelo Mathews or Jacob Oram. Almost all the other sides have one and Delhi could definitely do with one. The best place to look for one would be in Australia or South Africa. Getting someone like Mitchell Jonson could be a real coup. Moises Henriques has the potential to be one and the Daredevils will be well advised to hold onto him.

Bowling

Delhi’s brightest spot in this year’s IPL. The fast bowling department is well-staffed with a pair of internationals and two young Indians with a bright future. In Mishra and Vettori, Delhi have two wonderful spin bowlers but both of the them take the ball away from right-handers and Delhi will need someone who can bring it in – an off-spinner that is. They have Sehwag and Dilshan but a specialist is required. This will give the side enough flexibility to tackle any situation and any opposition. The best man to fit the bill would be England’s Graeme Swann, who is a capable lower order batsman as well.

Outlook

The Delhi Daredevils already has a very fine squad. In spite of the poor form of their batsman, they very nearly made the semi-finals for the third time running. There are a few gaps, however and a few additions could transform the side from a good to a great one. We trust that the team management would have taken note and will do the needful.