Delhi Capitals make intriguing waves least amount of purse at IPL Auction 2022

Ever since their rebranding, Delhi Capitals have looked like a completely different unit altogether. The franchise has been one of the most consistent teams in the past few seasons. Everything seems to be on the right track for the Capitals. Their decisions at the auction table have been nothing short of interesting as they managed to sign some big names to their side with the least amount of purse in hand amongst all ten participating franchises.

Heading into the auction the team dedicated to secure names such as Rishabh Pant for INR 16 crores, Axar Patel for INR 9 crores, Prithvi Shaw for INR 7.5 crores, and Anrich Nortje for INR 6.5 crores during the retention phase before the auction. The decision to retain Axar Patel for his price tag was a shocking choice as the team could have bought the player back at the auction for a cheaper price. 

The team, however, bounced back strong with just INR 47.5 crores in their purse. The think tank had a great outing at the auction table and made some very fascinating choices at the table. Let’s take a look at the key points from Delhi’s performance at the auction table.

Homecoming for David Warner as Delhi snap up the Australian for INR 6.25 crores

The Delhi Capitals made huge shockwaves on the first day of the IPL Mega Auction as they were able to acquire the signatures of Australian superstar, David Warner for the sum of just INR 6.25 crores. This was one of the smartest deals in the auction this year as the team reunited with one of the most successful players in the history of the league.

The team were looking for an experienced opener after failing to re-sign Shikhar Dhawan as the team lost out to Punjab Kings who outbid them by INR 8.25 crores to snatch the player away from the Capitals. Delhi had the penultimate bid for Shikhar but will be happy with their new opener, who is more explosive than the former and will match Shaw stroke by stroke. 

No replacement for pace-battery Kagiso Rabada for the Delhi Capitals, the team hope to work around with a makeshift pace unit

The Delhi Capitals had been one of the best pace units in the past few seasons of the IPL with the likes of Rabada, Nortje, and Avesh Khan. The franchise were spoiled for choices during the retention phase of the tournament. And the Capitals decided to retain Nortje for a price tag of INR 6.5 crores as their spearhead.

The team tried their best to re-secure Rabada and Avesh but were outbid by the other franchises. The team has found some great additions in names such as Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, and Khalil Ahmad but the unit seems considerably lacking in the pace department in comparison to the lineup from the previous seasons.

For the past few seasons, the team banked on their two overseas quicks and the Indian emerging express. But now the team will have to make sure that they can work things out with the new additions to their squad.

Delhi went big on Shardul Thakur as the franchise spend whopping ₹10.75 crores

Delhi broke the bank as Thakur became their most expensive signing this season with a price tag of INR 10.75 crores. The team spent more than 1/4th of their remaining purse on the bowling all-rounder to snatch him away from the Chennai Super Kings. 

Lord, as people call him, has been in great form as of late and his heroics in overseas bilateral series make him one of the best medium pacers in the current time.

He makes a very interesting addition to the Capitals’ side as he will strengthen their batting order. Plus, his knack to pick up wickets in the lower middle order.

Middle order woes for Delhi as team fail to find an experienced Indian batter to replace Shreyas Iyer

Iyer had been one of the cornerstones for the Delhi Capitals for nearly half a decade but the player and franchise could not agree on the negotiation terms. The team heading into the auction were looking for someone who could provide the needed stability in the middle order. 

The franchise acquired names such as Mandeep Singh, Yash Dhull, Sarfaraz Khan, Ripal Patel, and Lalit Yadav but none of the above mentioned names have the experience and temperament to fill in the void left by the India regular. 

The Under-19 World Cup fame Dhull could be an intriguing option with a big ICC U19 World Cup win under his belt but will need to prove himself in the toughest twenty that he has the skill required to fill in the gap left wide open by Iyer.