Greatest Delhi Daredevils XI of all time
Considering the firepower Delhi Daredevils (DD) have had at their disposal, it is hard to believe that the side has never won the Indian Premier League. The closest they came was in the second edition of the IPL in 2009 when they were halted by a brutal onslaught from Adam Gilchrist in the semi-final.
Led by their iconic player Virender Sehwag for the most part of their IPL history, Delhi’s side has never had a dearth of top-notch players, both domestic and overseas.
Here is the greatest Delhi Daredevils XI team of all time. This formidable team has four overseas players and seven Indians.
Openers
#1 Virender Sehwag (c)
While there may be a number of more prolific batsmen than Virender Sehwag in modern cricket, none of them are as entertaining and destructive as this daredevil from Delhi. When it comes to audacious stroke-play, he can put many greats in the shade.
His intrepid style of batting in all formats of the game set him apart from his peers and earned him a permanent place in the hearts of cricket lovers. There can be little doubt that he is amongst the game's most belligerent batsmen ever.
| Matches | Runs | Avg | Strike Rate |
| 86 | 2382 | 29.77 | 158.37 |
As one would normally expect, he relished playing in the IPL and scored runs at a pace matched by few others. His strike rate of 158 is an ample testimony to the havoc he can wreak at the top of the order.
It would be impossible to imagine a Delhi Daredevils all-time XI without its marquee player and one of the greatest cricketing sons from Delhi. Unsurprisingly, Sehwag is the most capped player and the highest run-getter for the Daredevils.
Hence, 'the Nawab of Najafgarh' will take the first opener's slot and will lead the team as well.
#2 David Warner
Who better to partner Sehwag as the opener apart from David Warner? With a style similar to Sehwag, the Aussie earned a formidable reputation for his reluctance to shun aggression even in the longest format of the game, where aggression is never an essential for success.
A diminutive man by appearance, he can unleash hell on the bowlers with his brutal batting and inflict maximum damage to the opposition in the powerplay.
| Matches | Runs | Avg | Strike Rate |
| 57 | 1456 | 28.54 | 132.84 |
It is not an exaggeration to say that Warner is to the current Aussie team what Adam Gilchrist was to the invincible Australian side of his time. Just like Gilchrist, his mantra is simple - go for an all-out attack at the bowlers right from the outset and hand the team an early advantage.
Warner is the second highest run-getter for the Daredevils and the only man from DD to score two hundreds in the IPL. His strike rate of 132 is commendable too, which easily seals his spot as the second opener. The fact that he is a left-hander is an added advantage as it provides for a right-left combination at the top of the order.