IPL 2020: Aakash Chopra picks his Playing XI of Delhi Capitals (DC)

As the commencement date of much-awaited IPL 2020 is coming closer with every passing day, cricket experts and analysts have begun predicting the tournament’s outcome. Many have started predicting their favourite players including the winners of Orange and Purple Cap.

Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra, who is quite active on social media, has also been giving out his predictions before the T20 extravaganza unfolds in the UAE from September 19th

Chopra has now picked his ideal playing XI for the Delhi Capitals (DC) for this year’s IPL. For the standout performer, Chopra backed skipper Shreyas Iyer to lead the Delhi franchise from the front. In a video shared on his Facebook page, Chopra picked the strongest possible Delhi Capitals squad for this IPL season.

For the opening pair, Chopra picked Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw. Dhawan has performed well after shifting his base from Sunrisers Hyderabad while Shaw has tremendous potential at a young age. Chopra added that the Delhi Capitals also have the option of using Ajinkya Rahane at the top of the order, but he would prefer Shaw opening the inning with Dhawan.

“At No.1, I have kept Shikhar Dhawan. He came from SRH and has done well after joining Delhi. He has a carefree mindset these days and he is striking the ball well. At No.2, I have got Prithvi Shaw. Although they have Ajinkya Rahane as well and they might have thought of playing him, but will they want to play him ahead of Shaw. I feel Shaw will be an ideal choice to start with,” said Chopra.

Delhi Capitals are actually my title contenders: Aakash Chopra

The next two players in Chopra’s list were skipper Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. Young and talented southpaw Pant made it into Chopra’s Playing XI due to his explosive nature and ability to bat anywhere in the order.

“At No.3, I have captain Shreyas Iyer. They have an unbelievable Indian batting depth, which makes Delhi Capitals special. At No.4, I have got Rishabh Pant. He can bat anywhere in the order, take the attack to the opposition and he scores a lot of runs,” Chopra further said.

The No.5 and No.6 spots were grabbed by Shimron Hetmyer and Alex Carey respectively. For the all-rounder’s slot, Chopra picked Axar Patel over Marcus Stoinis as the latter may not be able to bowl his full quota of 4 overs on a regular basis.

Chopra further named two spinners in the squad– Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra. And to finish things off, he picked the pace duo of Ishant Sharma and Kagiso Rabada. He also added that Daniel Sams and Anrich Nortje could be the alternate options.

“Delhi Capitals will be in the top four and are actually my title contenders. This could be their year if they play to their potential. Shreyas Iyer will their outstanding player in IPL 2020, he will score runs, do captaincy and make his team win,” concluded Chopra.