IPL season is almost upon us, and we’re waiting eagerly to see if Delhi Capitals can finally land the elusive first IPL title for India’s capital. Bolstered by the return of a talismanic captain and aided by some of Australia’s finest cricketing exports, they’ll hope to defeat allcomers and prove that Delhi is the capital of cricket, not just of India. Here, we’ll tell you all you need to know about Delhi Capitals’ 2024 IPL season!
When is Delhi’s first match in the IPL?
The 2024 IPL season begins on March 22, when the reigning champions CSK face off against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Delhi Capitals will play their first game the following day, as they head to Mohali to take on the Punjab Kings. Their first game in front of home crowds at the Arun Jaitley Stadium is a week later on March 31, when 2023 champions Chennai come to town. The full set of fixtures have not yet been announced, but here are the Delhi Capitals fixtures we know about so far:
March 23 v Punjab (away)
March 28 v Rajasthan (away)
March 31 v Chennai (home)
April 3 v Kolkata (home)
April 7 v Mumbai (away)
Who is in the Delhi Capitals squad for 2024?
The biggest news for Delhi this year is the return to cricket of Rishabh Pant, over a year since a serious car accident put his career in jeopardy. Pant told the Delhi Capitals website that “It feels like I’m going to make my debut again”, and with him captaining the side on his return, we’re hoping for a fairytale run to the IPL title that would surely get Bollywood interested. India internationals Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Prithvi Shaw help form the home-grown core of Delhi Capitals’ squad.
With head coach Ricky Ponting running the show, there’s a strong Australian flavour to the overseas portion of the squad; big hitting David Warner will open the batting for Delhi, whilst all-rounder Mitchell Marsh and bowler Jhye Richardson bring the experience of having won Big Bash League titles for Perth Scorchers. Other key signings include Shai Hope, who’ll bolster the batting lineup, and South African speedster Anrich Nortje. Meanwhile, destructive young Aussie batter Jake Fraser-McGurk is a late addition, replacing the injured Lungi Ngidi.
Here’s the full Delhi Capitals squad for IPL 2024 (✈️ indicates an overseas player):
Batters: David Warner ✈️, Prithvi Shaw, Swastik Chikara, Yash Dhull
All-rounders: Axar Patel, Mitchell Marsh ✈️, Lalit Yadav, Jake Fraser-McGurk ✈️, Sumit Kumar
Keepers: Rishabh Pant (c), Shai Hope ✈️, Abishek Porel, Kumar Kushagra, Ricky Bhui, Tristan Stubbs ✈️
Bowlers: Ishant Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje ✈️, Jhye Richardson ✈️, Mukesh Kumar, Pravin Dubey, Khaleel Ahmed, Rasikh Dar, Vicky Ostwal
When is the final of IPL 2024?
The IPL title will be contested on May 26, after the group stage concludes and the top four teams have battled through the Qualifiers and Eliminator to decide on the final two.
Do you think Delhi has the team to go all the way this year? Let us know on social media!