IPL 2020: 3 players in the current DC squad who have been part of a title-winning team
The Delhi Capitals made their first-ever IPL final after they beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 17 runs in the IPL 2020 Qualifier 2 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
DC will now face defending champions Mumbai Indians in the summit clash in Dubai on Tuesday (November 10).
Despite becoming the last of the original 8 franchises to make it through to an IPL final, DC have a few players in their fold who have won silverware before.
3 DC players who have previously won the IPL
We now take a look at the 3 DC players who have got their hands on the IPL trophy earlier.
#3 Axar Patel
Even though he didn’t get to play a single match that season, DC all-rounder Axar Patel can take pride in the fact that he tasted success as a part of the Mumbai Indians’ first-ever title-winning squad in 2013.
The then 20-year-old came close to winning the trophy again in 2014 for the Kings XI Punjab before falling to a narrow 3-wicket loss in the final to the Kolkata Knight Riders. Interestingly, IPL 2014 was a breakout season for Axar Patel as he scalped 17 wickets at an impressive economy of 6.13 – which also helped him earn the national cap a month later.
Come the IPL 2020 final, Axar Patel will be up against his first IPL franchise as DC take on MI in a bid to win their maiden IPL trophy.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan
The Sunrisers Hyderabad won their maiden IPL crown in 2016, but one shouldn’t forget that Shikhar Dhawan was an integral part of their setup that season. The southpaw racked up 501 runs in 17 matches at an impressive average of 38.53, including a 25-ball 28 in a 63-run opening stand with David Warner in the final.
Dhawan again scored close to 500 runs (497 runs at 38.23) in IPL 2018, but SRH lost the final by 8 wickets to eventual champions CSK. The current DC opener, though, fared well in the playoffs. He scored a 24-ball 34 in the Eliminator and a steady 26 off 25 balls in the final.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin was the one of the earliest finds of the IPL as he won 2 successive titles in his first 3 years with CSK. The Chennai-based franchise still remains the only one to have successfully defended their title, and Ashwin was a central part of MS Dhoni’s plans in 2010 and 2011.
The off-spinner burst onto the scene by picking up 13 wickets at an economy of 6.10 in IPL 2010. Ashwin then had his best season in 2011 as he scalped 20 wickets in 16 games at a strike rate and economy of 18.90 and 6.15 respectively.
Notably, he set the tone in the IPL 2011 final by dismissing the in-form Chris Gayle for a duck in the 1st over and eventually returning a match-haul of 3 for 16 from 4 overs.
All the aforementioned players have got an experienced head on their shoulders, and DC would be staring at them for inspiration when they go up against MI in an attempt to be the newest IPL champion.