From Stubbs to Porel: The next-gen of Delhi Capitals shines in IPL 2024

New Delhi [India], May 15 : Over the years, Delhi Capitals (DC) has been associated with many legends and superstars of the game such as Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, David Warner, AB de Villiers, Rishabh Pant, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn McGrath, Zaheer Khan etc and during this season, several youngsters have come forward and performed well enough to establish themselves as the potential flag-bearers for the franchise in the future.
DC ended their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign on Tuesday with a 19-run win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Arun Jaitley Stadium. Having won seven and lost seven games, DC is in fifth place in the table and their slim playoff hopes are subject to the results of the remaining IPL fixtures. Despite a mixed campaign marked by a terrible start and then an excellent comeback in the second half, the Capitals can take pride in fact that several youngsters stepped up with some memorable performances and could go on to form the core of the franchise soon.
Here are youngsters from the franchise who impressed with their performances:
-Rishabh Pant
The comeback man is the biggest star of them all. During a dismal season last year in which DC finished at ninth, Pant's absence due to a road accident back in December 2022 was felt every second. The skipper is truly the Heart and Soul of the franchise and the effect of his absence was visible in the team's performance, often inconsistent and came in bits and pieces. This season marked his return to competitive cricket and now the Capitals look a different unit. They looked united, performed way more consistently and seemed like men on a mission.
Pant was great for the Capitals in the tournament, scoring 446 runs at an average of 40.54 in 13 innings and a strike rate of 155.40. He also scored three fifties, with the best score of 88*. He is the ninth-highest run-scorer this season. He has also done really well as a wicketkeeper, taking some stunning catches and carrying out great stumpings.
-Jake Fraser McGurk
A name that was unknown among the masses not so long ago, is now on everyone's lips. His baseball-like bat swing, massive sixes and the brute strength, timing and minimal footwork involved in it has got everyone talking. 'Jake FM', as he is known in cricketing circles, has delivered hits after hits to the delight of the Indian crowd, leaving many wondering why he was not picked from the start.
In nine matches, Jake scored 330 runs at an average of 36.66 and a strike rate of 234.04, with four half-centuries and best score of 84. He smashed 32 fours and a massive 28 sixes in the tournament in just 141 balls, collecting bulk of his runs through them. Fraser also re-wrote powerplay record books and became the first-ever IPL player to have three half-centuries in less than 20 balls and the fastest to score a half-century for Delhi (in just 15 balls). With David Warner at the twilight of his career, Fraser McGurk could be the opener who dons the Blue and Red for years to come.
-Tristan Stubbs
Following a two-season long stint with Mumbai Indians (MI), which barely earned him game time, Stubbs, bought by DC for just 50 lakhs, made every opportunity count. In 13 innings this season, Stubbs scored 378 runs at an average of 54.00 and a strike rate of 190.90, with three half-centuries. His best score is 71*. Stubbs has also taken three wickets, with the best figures of 2/11.
Stubbs has been sensational in death overs. In 54 deliveries faced from overs 18-20 this season, he has made 173 runs at a strike rate of 320.40. He has been dismissed only once in this phase and played just two dots. 13 fours and 15 sixes have come out of his bat from overs 18-20.
Stubbs bowls useful spin, is explosive with the bat, is a great fielder and can don the wicketkeeping gloves too. DC might have found themselves the perfect all-rounder.
-Abhishek Porel
This young 21-year-old Bengal wicketkeeper had a poor 2023 season in the absence of Pant, but turned it all around during this season. Termed as a "special talent" by head coach Ricky Ponting, Porel found himself a little lost in the hype of comeback man Pant and hard-hitting overseas youngsters Fraser McGurk and Stubbs.
Porel is yet another addition to the new Indian breed of fearless young wicketkeeper-batters, featuring Pant, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Dhruv Jurel etc. Porel ended his IPL season with some fine numbers: 327 runs in 12 innings at an average of 32.70, with a strike rate of 159.51 and two half-centuries. His best score is 65. This campaign had him play a variety of roles, be it an impact player batting at number nine, an opener and a specialist wicketkeeper and he did a fine job in all these aspects.
-Rasikh Salam Dar
This 24-year-old pacer from Jammu and Kashmir was trusted with the responsibility of bowling some crucial spells in the death overs phase during a period when the franchise needed wins. Rasikh delivered well for his side, taking nine wickets in eight matches at an average of 29.88 and a strike rate of over 16, with the best figures of 3/34, which came against Mumbai Indians (MI) in a tense game during which DC had set MI 258 runs to win and won by 10 runs.
-Khaleel Ahmed
Having made his international debut in 2018 and played for India in 25 international games, Khaleel had not made a lot of impact in the Blue jersey for India, causing him to lose his spot. This season though, Khaleel has been brilliant, taking crucial wickets across all phases of the game. With 17 wickets in 14 games at an average of 28.17, he is the third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. He also earned a call-up in the national side for the ICC T20 World Cup happening this year from June 1, though as a reserves player. This season could very well revive his chances of wearing the Indian jersey, and playing a very useful role of a left-arm pacer.