IPL 2022: 3 Benched DC players who deserve a chance in the playing XI

The Indian Premier League is one of the biggest leagues in the world and players from around the globe go on to compete against some of the bests in the business. “Yatra Pratibha Avsara Prapnotihi,” which translates to “Where talent meets opportunities,” is an important tag line for the IPL, and is also engraved on the IPL trophy. In all 15 editions of the IPL, it has delivered its message of providing opportunities for young talents to compete against international players.

At the start of the 15th edition of the Tata IPL, Delhi Capitals, from their budget of rupees 90 crores, spent 47.4 crores on buying 20 players. They performed well in the mega auction and roped in a few match-winners and some raw, talented young blokes into their squad. The Capitals’ management also roped in match-winners like Shane Watson and Ajit Agarkar into their coaching staff to coach and guide the players with the aim of winning their maiden IPL title.

However, not all of the 20 players bought by the management have gotten opportunities to break into the playing 11. Delhi, who are currently struggling at sixth position in the points table, have a few bases to cover in terms of their inexperienced bowling unit, which lacks an overseas flavor, and the middle order, which can be strengthened with the addition of certain players.

Let us scan through three such players who are currently warming the bench for DC and can prove to be a game-changer if given an opportunity in the playing eleven.


1. Lungi Ngidi

The Delhi Capitals paid a base price of 50 lakhs for the tall South African, hit-the-deck bowler, Lungi Ngidi. Lungi has found it difficult to break into Delhi’s starting lineup, which only has one right-arm seamer, his former CSK teammate, Shardul Thakur. In the power play and death overs, Delhi has been struggling to pick up wickets in the absence of Anrich Nortje, who has been out of form this season.

Lungi, who was a regular with the Chennai Super Kings from the 2018 season until last year, was a match-winner for the Super Kings. Ngidi has been a wicket-taker in the IPL, picking up 25 wickets so far in his IPL career at a strike rate of 12.96. With the majority of the matches this year being played in Mumbai and Pune, which are known for their pace and bounce, Lungi, with his height, can exponentially exploit such wickets.

Lungi was also Chennai’s third-highest wicket-taker in the successful 2018 edition, with 11 wickets. Ngidi’s knack for picking wickets almost every 13th ball makes him a strong candidate to feature in Delhi’s playing eleven. Delhi’s bowling lineup only consists of one overseas seamer, Mustafizur Rahman, who hasn’t been performing to his full potential, and Ngidi can truly fill the void with his extra pace and variations if given an opportunity by the Delhi management.