New Delhi, India

Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals will be hoping to make it to their third straight playoffs this season after impressing in the last two editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Delhi Capitals had made it to their maiden final in IPL 2020 and topped the league stage of the tournament last year to make it to the playoffs. 

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However, they had failed to secure a spot in the final last season after losses against Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in the playoffs. DC have lost a number of superstars ahead of the new season but have also managed to improve their squad with some quality signings at the IPL 2022 mega auction last month.

DC lost the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Shikhar Dhawan, Marcus Stoinis and Shreyas Iyer among others but have signed David Warner, Shardul Thakur, Rovman Powell and Kuldeep Yadav to bolster their squad ahead of IPL 2022. While many believe Delhi Capitals can once again emerge as a strong contender for the title this year, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra thinks otherwise.

With the likes of Warner, Marsh and Mustafizur Rahman likely to miss the start of the tournament and doubts over Anrich Nortje's fitness, Chopra believes Delhi Capitals can easily lose two of their first three matches this season. Delhi Capitals will open their IPL 2022 campaign against Mumbai Indians on Sunday (March 27).

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"I am slightly worried about this team. They can easily lose two of the first three matches. If they lose three out of three, there is a possibility, you can't say. Someone might win you a match with a one-man show but as a team, this does not give you a lot of confidence," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.

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While Chopra stated that the unavailability of the players is one of the concerns for DC, the former India cricketer also explained that not much can be expected in terms of consistency and big match temperament from youngsters like Kona Srikar Bharat,  Sarfaraz Khan and Rovman Powell. Chopra said he won't be surprised if DC fail to make it to the playoffs this year.

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"I will not be surprised if this team does not make it to the playoffs. I feel there is a possibility that this team doesn't qualify because they are going with potential, the performances are just okay, they have availability issues. If they start slowly, you never know which way they will head," Chopra added.

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Delhi Capitals squad for IPL 2022: 

Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin Hebbar, Abhishek Sharma, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, KS Bharat, Mandeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Chetan Sakariya, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Yash Dhull, Rovman Powell, Pravin Dubey, Lungi Ngidi, Vicky Ostwal, Sarfaraz Khan