"I think DC's bowling attack is up there in the top two best bowling units in the IPL" - Brad HoggÂ
Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg has lavished praise on the Delhi Capitals' (DC) bowling unit, ranking it among the top two best bowling attacks in the entire Indian Premier League (IPL). Returning skipper Rishabh Pant does have a plethora of options to choose from to form a well-rounded bowling attack and make a serious push for success after two forgettable back-to-back seasons.
Anrich Nortje's return from injury and Kuldeep Yadav's red-hot form are the two biggest positives for the franchise in their bowling department. Mukesh Yadav and Axar Patel's growth over the last 12 months also comes across as a huge boost for the team, who also have credible options like Khaleel Ahmed and Ishan Sharma to choose from.
Nortje has not played at the highest level since his injury during the home series against Australia in September 2023. The speedster was ruled out of the 2023 ODI World Cup and the home series against India as a result. He recently played for the Warriors in the CSA T20 Challenge and will be raring to go in the IPL to be ready for the 2024 T20 World Cup for the Proteas.
"Anrich Nortje is the go-to man in any tough scenario that DC will find themselves in, he is the man they go to to get quick wickets and try to get the momentum back in their favor. I think DC's bowling attack is up there in the top two best bowling units in the IPL," Brad Hogg said on his YouTube channel.
However, on the other side of the coin, lies DC's batting, which has been as inconsistent as they come. David Warner cut a lonely figure last season as the other batters struggled and Hogg opines that DC will have to avoid losing wickets in a cluster, leading to poor yields in the death overs.
"DC's weakness is their batting. They do get off to good starts in the powerplay, but they lose too many wickets and that puts too much pressure on trying to have wickets in hand for the final four to five overs, where they have been the worst-performing team over the last couple of years," Hogg said.
The 2020 IPL finalists scored at a rate of only 8.57 runs per over in the final overs during the 2023 edition, ranking them at the bottom in this aspect when compared to the other franchises.
"They really needed someone to expose spin bowling in the middle overs" - Brad Hogg on how DC will benefit from Pant's return
Rishabh Pant put a rest to all of the speculations when he announced that he is ready to feature in the IPL 2024 in a complete capacity, that involves a triple role of batting, wicketkeeping, and captaincy. Pant has not played competitive cricket since December 2022 but has reportedly looked in great touch during his recovery at the National Cricket Academy (NCA)
Brad Hogg also shed light on how the southpaw's return can turn things around for the franchise. He feels that DC will finally have some stability in the middle order and have a candidate who can take on spin bowling to boost the momentum.
"Pant coming back has added more stability in the middle overs, he is very dominant against spin bowling, and they really needed someone to expose spin bowling in the middle overs," Hogg said.
DC are scheduled to lock horns with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to kick-start their IPL 2024 campaign on Saturday, March 23.