IPL 2019: 5 released players Delhi Daredevils should target at the auction
The Delhi Daredevils are the only IPL franchise not to have made the summit-clash at least once in the eleven-year history of the lucrative league. Though their IPL journey started off well with two knockout stage finish in the first two editions, they failed to replicate their performance in the subsequent editions as they have finished at the bottom of the table on four occasions in eleven editions.
DD's last knockout (playoff) appearance was way back in the fifth edition (2012) when they finished third after losing to eventual runner-up, Chennai Super Kings in the qualifiers.
From veteran Virender Sehwag to young prodigy Prithvi Shaw, several phenomenal Indian cricketers, as well as International stars have donned the Delhi jersey over the years. In spite of possessing such talents in their ranks, the franchise from the national capital hasn't been able to produce the desired results.
With a brand new season of the Indian Premier League just four months away, all the eight franchises are trying their best to assemble strong and balanced squads to challenge for the IPL 2019 title.
Teams were given the November 15 deadline for the IPL trading window, after which they submitted the list of players they wish to retain and release ahead of the auctions to be held at Jaipur next month.
With the deadline ending yesterday (November 15), the Daredevils retained 14 players while releasing 10 of them including veteran Gautam Gambhir. Earlier, they traded three Indian players- Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem for Shikhar Dhawan.
By releasing several players from their last season's squad (that finished eighth among eight teams), they have made their intentions of forming a brand new side probably under a new, experienced skipper.
With INR 25.50 crore left in their purse ahead of the auctions, they will be allowed to add ten more players (7 Indians, 3 overseas) to their existing squad. Let us now look at the five released players they must target at the 2019 IPL auctions.
Saurabh Tiwary
The Jharkhand batsman has been a part of all the eleven seasons of the IPL and represented four different franchises so far. Last season, Tiwary was bought by the Mumbai Indians for INR 80 lakhs but he did not get an opportunity to don the Blue jersey for the entire season. His contributions with the bat (419 runs) were crucial for Mumbai Indians' runner-up finish in the third edition back in 2010.
The southpaw, who has amassed 1276 runs in 81 IPL matches including seven half-centuries, registered two half-centuries in the Vijay Hazare Trophy recently (65 against Services and 54 against Tamil Nadu).
His side Jharkhand reached semi-finals where they lost to eventual runner-up, Delhi. With the Daredevils lacking an experienced middle-order batsman who can stabilize their innings, the experienced Tiwary might be a valuable addition.