IPL 2021 – Not Mumbai Indians nor Chennai Super Kings, Brad Hogg picks this team as ‘The Team to Beat’ in IPL 2021 phase 2 – Former Australia cricket Brad Hogg has picked IPL 2021 Phase 2’s ‘Team to Beat’ ahead of the cash-rich league’s UAE leg. It’s not five-time champions Mumbai Indian nor is it three-time champions Chennai Super Kings, it is IPL 2021 phase 1 table-toppers Delhi Capitals. DC were led by Rishabh Pant in the first phase of the IPL. Hogg feels that the comeback of R Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer will help DC dominate the second half of IPL 2021.
Schedule / Teams / Live / IPL 2021 Points Table / Orange Cap / Purple Cap
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) / Rajasthan Royals (RR) / Punjab Kings (PBKS) / Delhi Capitals (DC) / Mumbai Indians (MI) / Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) / Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) / Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
“DC for me are the team to beat. Having this break, they have got (Shreyas) Iyer coming back into the line-up, which allows them to have a little bit of a variety with their overseas players. They don’t have to rely on Steve Smith now. It will give them a better balance. They have got (Ravichandran) Ashwin coming back as well. They are stronger with both Iyer and Ashwin back,” Hogg said on his Youtube Channel.
R Ashwin was one of the first Indian cricketers who pulled out of the IPL 2021 phase 1 to be with his family during the Covid-19 outbreak while Shreyas Iyer did not participate in IPL 2021 as he was recovering from the shoulder injury. Now the batsman has fully recovered and can be seen hitting the ball hard in the nets at UAE.
Also READ: IPL 2021 Qualification Status: Check what MI, CSK, DC, RCB, RR,…
R Ashwin in IPL 2021 phase 1
Matches – 5
Wickets – 1
ECO – 7.73
The Rise of Avesh Khan
Cricket experts were overall happy with the DC’s bowling unit except for the fact that they do not have an experienced Indian pacer. However, Avesh Khan put his best foot forward and solved this problem for DC.
“In the bowling, Avesh Khan in the first phase was sensational. DC does not have enough depth among Indian quicks but Avesh lifted them in the first half. So Ricky Ponting (coach) will be a little comfortable with him in the line-up knowing that he is a little bit more confident now,” he said.
Avesh Khan in IPL 2021 phase 1
Matches – 8
Wickets – 14
ECO – 7.70
“DC are only team that can knock MI off and stop them from winning a sixth IPL title. DC are the best team that I have seen on paper. With their balance, they can take on the might of MI and CSK,” Brad Hogg concluded.
IPL 2021 Teams Points Table
| Sno | Team | Pld | Won | Lost | Net RR | Pts |
| 1 | Delhi Capitals | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.547 | 12 |
| 2 | Chennai Super Kings | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1.263 | 10 |
| 3 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 7 | 5 | 2 | -0.171 | 10 |
| 4 | Mumbai Indians | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0.062 | 8 |
| 5 | Rajasthan Royals | 7 | 3 | 4 | -0.19 | 6 |
| 6 | Punjab Kings | 8 | 3 | 5 | -0.368 | 6 |
| 7 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 7 | 2 | 5 | -0.494 | 4 |
| 8 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 7 | 1 | 6 | -0.623 | 2 |
Delhi Capitals equation to qualify for playoffs
As the IPL 2021 Points Table suggest, currently Rishabh Pant led Delhi Capitals are well set at the number one spot. Having won 6 of the 8 games, Delhi team is comfortably placed to qualify for playoffs. Of the remaining 6 matches, they need to win a minimum of 2 matches to ensure their qualification. However, the team would aim to bag one of the top two spots.
Delhi Capitals Squad
Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Prithvi Shaw, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Lalit Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Anrich Nortje, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Lukman Hussain Meriwala, M Siddharth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Pravin Dubey, Vishnu Vinod.
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