It’s only been two days since the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League concluded, but franchises and fans have already set their sights on the next edition, likely to be held in April 2020, five months from now. When IPL 2021 rolls around, not only will players like the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, who finished last two, be eager to resurrect, but the onus will also lie with the four teams that made the playoffs.
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Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore made it to this year’s playoffs, before the defending champions took home the IPL trophy, winning the title for the fifth time, extending the record. SRH has made the playoffs of every edition since winning the title in 2016, but it was a season to remember especially for RCB, who made the top four after finishing at the bottom twice in the past three years.
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Which brings us to the capitals. Since it was renamed Delhi Capitals, the team has turned the page. While they made the playoffs last year for the first time in seven years, this time they improved it by reaching their first IPL final. At the conclusion of the league stage, DC finished as the second ranked team after the Mumbai Indians, a team to which they lost four times this IPL, including the final.
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Based on his performance this year, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan is confident that DC will continue to rule in future editions of the IPL. Drawing comparisons to the ever-consistent CSK, Pathan expects DC to follow the same form as the three-time IPL champions, his confidence coming from the balanced makeup of the Capitals team.
“I see the capitals of Delhi in the coming years as CSK used to be before. They used to dominate and win a lot of matches. But now they will see the capitals of Delhi dominate for years to come, ”Pathan said on the Cricket Connected show on Star Sports.
“They have given themselves a very good opportunity by choosing a very good team and preparing a very good core. They have a very good captain. They have a pair of South African pacemakers that throw very fast. “
DC started well to win six of its first eight games before losing its way. For a time, DC found itself in the midst of a losing streak, losing four games in a row before bouncing back to reach the playoffs. Pathan, however, acknowledges that there are a couple of areas DC needs to work on, and as long as they can improve in those, there is no reason why DC can’t move on and dominate teams in the future.
“They have to work on two things. If they can get a good finisher, either Indian or foreign. I still feel like they have a little problem. They depend a lot on Shimron Hetmyer and Stoinis has also done very well up to a point, but if one more hitter supports them, this team will get even stronger, ”he added.
“And along with that I feel like a good doll, which is preferably an Indian in whom they can invest. If they can find a good player like that, these two players, then this team will get even more dangerous.
“They already have good starters, intermediate players and a very good captain, who is great and young and the best thing is that most of their players are young and also experienced, which is a very rare combination. That means they are going to dominate a lot in the next 4-5 years. “
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