Team Delhi’s rollercoaster campaign in the 2020 edition in UAE was a delightful watch, as they ended a 13-year wait to reach a final of an Indian T20 League season.
Ahead of the February 18 auction, the team management opted to release six players while retaining as many as 19 players. Team Delhi entered with a purse of Rs 13.40 crores, seeking to address two of its key issues - the absence of quality back-ups and a sturdy all-rounder.
8️⃣ years on, @y_umesh is back to the team where his IPL journey began 💙#DCFanWithSign #YehHaiNayiDilli #IPLAuction2021 pic.twitter.com/LLK38wD2cm
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) February 18, 2021
In turn, the franchise resolved its concerns with the valuable signings of former Rajasthan skipper Steve Smith and Sam Billings. They also brought back Indian fast bowler Umesh Yadav, who is likely to forge a commanding partnership with Kagiso Rabada and Ishant Sharma in the pace attack.
Team Delhi, often considered the dark horses in the competition, now appears to have a well-rounded unit at their disposal and are keen to continue their steady rise as a fierce competitor in the 2021 edition.
The list of players released by Delhi are Alex Carey, Keemo Paul, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mohit Sharma, Jason Roy.
Players Bought: Tom Curran - Rs 5.25 crore, Steve Smith - Rs 2.20 crores, Sam Billings - Rs 2 crores, Umesh Yadav - Rs 1 crore, Ripal Patel - Rs 20 lakh, Vishnu Vinod - Rs 20 lakh, Lukman Meriwala - Rs 20 lakh, M Siddharth - Rs 20 lakh
Full Squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddarth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Noah Seelam
