IPL 2022: 3 players who performed well against Delhi Capitals in 2021 and were signed by DC this year
Delhi Capitals (DC) are one of the five teams that have been a part of every Indian Premier League (IPL) season so far. They joined the IPL as the Delhi Daredevils in 2008 and rebranded themselves as the Delhi Capitals ahead of the 2019 season.
The Capitals have been home to some of the best players in cricket history. They had a stellar squad last year that topped the points table in the league stage. However, because of the mega auction, the team had to release a majority of their star players.
While DC managed to re-sign a few of them at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, they also bid for players who performed well against them last year. Here's a list of three players who did an excellent job against the Capitals in IPL 2021 and will don the DC jersey this year.
#1 KS Bharat - Played his career-best knock against Delhi Capitals
KS Bharat came into the limelight last year with his excellent performances for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The wicket-keeper batter played a match-winning knock for RCB in their last league match of IPL 2021 against the Delhi Capitals.
DC batted first and scored 164/5 in their 20 overs. In reply, RCB lost Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal's wickets before the score touched double digits. KS Bharat then stabilized the innings with AB de Villiers and took RCB closer to the target.
After De Villiers' departure, Bharat joined forces with Glenn Maxwell to destroy the Delhi bowlers. Bharat remained not out on 78 off 52 balls and helped RCB win the match by seven wickets on the last ball.
#2 Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur received the biggest IPL contract of his career when DC secured his services for a massive ₹10.75 crore at the IPL 2022 mega auction.
Thakur played for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last year. During their league game against DC, Thakur bowled an impressive spell of 4-0-13-2. CSK managed only 136 runs in their 20 overs.
Although a 137-run target wasn't too big for DC, Thakur's twin strike helped CSK take the game to the last over. He dismissed Shikhar Dhawan and Ravichandran Ashwin to turn the game in CSK's favor. However, DC ultimately escaped with a three-wicket victory.
#3 Mustafizur Rahman
The Delhi Capitals signed Bangladesh's left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman at his base price of ₹2 crore at the mega auction. Rahman took four wickets in two matches against DC last year.
Playing for the Rajasthan Royals, Rahman dismissed Marcus Stoinis and Tom Curran in the match at Wankhede Stadium. In the reverse fixture played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Rahman sent Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer back to the dressing room.
His wicket-taking abilities seem to have impressed the DC team management as they roped him in for the 2022 season.