Same Problem, Different Season for Delhi Daredevils

By: Sandipan Bose

From AB de Villiers to Kevin Pietersen, you name it and they have played for Delhi Daredevils at some point of the Indian Premier League.

But, unfortunately, none of them could become a brand for Delhi. Unlike other teams like Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, and Bangalore Royal Challengers, the Daredevils have failed to establish a brand out of any of the big stars they had in their line-up over the years.

We all agree that change is the only constant and the Daredevils changed their core team quite a lot of times to get the desired result of winning the IPL.

But, perhaps, the problem lies somewhere else. It something to do with the Delhi air. Everyone takes the best of the city and yet Delhi is not their own.

In a way, it is also the failure of the overall system of the team which has led to the Daredevils not winning any of the IPL tournaments over the last eight years.

Even the RCB led by flamboyant Virat Kohl didn’t win the tournament ever, but they show character every season. Unlike the Daredevils, they want to go out there and slug it out against other competent sides.

So what’s going wrong with the team despite having a battery of good coaches over the years? The Daredevils didn’t pick a bad side in this year’s auction.

They had the right mix of youth and experience and even appointed a captain in Zaheer Khan, who has the wealth of experience at the highest level.

But the way they slumped in their first match of the season against the Kolkata Knight Riders, it has raised plenty of questions.

After a series of revamps over the years, they are yet to start their campaign with a bang. Witnessing the dismissal at a score of 98, despite the big bucks spent on the team at the auction, shall be a bitter pill to swallow for the franchisee.

They say, children show the man, as morning shows the day, and in Delhi’s context, there are several questions waiting to be answered in the days to come. Here’s hoping the players are ready to make their amends!