IPL 2018: 5 Delhi Daredevils players who should be axed ahead of next season

The Delhi Daredevils had a disappointing run in the 2018 edition of the IPL. Coming in to the tournament, they expected to turn their fortunes with a new look side. They seemed to have a good blend of players on paper but their execution went horribly wrong in the first half of the season. They lost their very first game of the season against the Kings XI Punjab that exposed their bowling weaknesses.

They took a little too much time to find their ideal combinations. Mid way through the season, they had a change in their captain and that did not seem to work as well. The likes of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer were phenomenal with the bat. But such individual brilliance rarely clicked for them when it came to the eventual result. By the end of the season, they did manage to find a decent combination and ended on a high to take some confidence with them.

They beat two heavy weight sides – the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians – in their final two league games to exit the tournament on a high. Despite their wins in the last two games, they finished as the wooden spoon winners in the league stage. Certainly, before they kick start their campaign next season, Delhi Daredevils will trim and chop their squad to fine tune it. Some players are likely to be axed.

Here are the 5 players from Delhi Daredevils who should be axed before next season:

1. Gautam Gambhir

The Delhi Daredevils had their eyes on Gautam Gambhir at the IPL auctions this year. Previously, Gambhir had led the Kolkata Knight Riders to an IPL title twice and hence, he looked like a savior for the DD’s leadership woes. On the personal front, Gambhir started off on a very positive note with a crisp 55 against Kings XI Punjab in the first game. However, it went in a losing cause.

Since then, he played six more matches to return with scores of DNB, 15, 8, 3, 4. As a result of his string of low scores, he stepped down from the captaincy post and did not play any more games in the season. While axing Gambhir might sound like a big deal, it is not new in the IPL to see team captains being axed. Earlier in the tournament, the franchises have dropped their leaders like Yuvraj Singh, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, and even Rahul Dravid.

2. Colin Munro

Hard hitting New Zealand batsman Colin Munro arrived in the IPL riding on a serious reputation. He is one of the highly ranked batsman in the T20Is and hence, was expected to rule the season. He had a very unfortunate start to the season and was dismissed on 4 in the first game. In the next fixture, things got worse and he bagged a duck. He was subsequently dropped from the side and was drafted back in after a good long break.

Munro, the version 2.0 in the season, scored 33 and 26 in two matches before bagging his second duck of the season against the Rajasthan Royals. He did not play any more games since then. Considering the fact that the Delhi Daredevils have found more options in the opening slot with Prithvi Shaw firing well, it is likely that Munro might face the axe next season.

3. Manjot Kalra

Young Indian batsman Manjot Kalra was a big name at the IPL auctions this year. Kalra was in Australia at the time of the auctions and was a top performer for the India U19 in the ICC U19 World Cup back then. In the finals of the big event, Kalra smashed a match winning century. Many believed that he would get an opportunity to be in the playing eleven in the IPL this season.

However, the southpaw did not get a single game. While it might sound absurd that Kalra could be axed before given an opportunity, one cannot rule out the possibility. There is no dearth of talent among the Indian batsmen in the DD setup. Also, U19 players like Prithvi Shaw and Abhishek Sharma have already made the cut and there seems to be no room for Kalra. Hence, he could miss out next season and be picked by some other team.

4. Mohammed Shami

Veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has had a very troubled time in the recent past. His personal problems have seen him in the news headlines for all the wrong reasons. To worsen things, he also sustained minor injuries in an accident in the lead up to the IPL. He, however, overcame all the off-field troubles to feature in the playing eleven for the Delhi Daredevils in the first game of the season for the franchise. He had a decent time but failed to pick up a wicket.

He had two more decent outing before he was slammed for 53 runs in the match against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Andre Russell spanked him for 5 sixes in an over. Throughout the season, he looked out of form and did not get a game thereafter. With the Daredevils keen on giving chance to youngsters like Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan, one would believe that things might be as good as done for Shami next season.

5. Naman Ojha

Naman Ojha is not a new name in the Indian domestic circuit. Ojha has been around for a long time now in the Indian cricket circles. Also, he has been in the IPL for quite a long time. This season, he was picked by the Delhi Daredevils at the auctions. The 34-year old, however, got just one match to play in the season.

He played against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad. He failed to make an impact and could only score 1 in the match. With the Daredevils camp happy with their keeping talent in Rishabh Pant, there seems to be no way that Ojha can make it to the playing eleven next year either. Hence, in all likelihood, he could face the ace from the franchise in 2019.

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