No place for DC's top two costliest buys of IPL 2021 in Aakash Chopra's ideal Delhi Capitals XI

The upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) is expected to be full of surprises for Delhi Capitals as they are set to enter the competition under a young leader – Rishabh Pant. The runners-up of the previous season will begin their journey against three-time champions Chennai Super Kings on Saturday at Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium.

Besides keeping a tab on Rishabh Pant’s output as a captain, the DC think tank will also face the challenge of finalising a strong XI which can pose threat to MS Dhoni’s CSK. Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has suggested an ideal DC XI for IPL 2021.

The former India opener threw in a few surprises by not picking England's Tom Curran (bought for ₹5.25 Cr) and Australia's Steve Smith (bought for ₹2.2 Cr) - two of DC's costliest picks in the auctions ahead of this IPL - in his ideal Delhi Capitals XI for starters.

Also Read | ‘You have to bite the bullet’: Ganguly remembers biggest setback of career

In the video on his YouTube channel, the cricketer-turned-commentator suggested that Ajinkya Rahane should bat at No 3 position, so that the management could play the likes of Shimron Hetmyer and Marcus Stoinis in the lower-middle order.

“Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw to open. At three, I want to play Ajinkya Rahane because if Rahane is at three then you can play both Shimron Hetmyer and Marcus Stoinis. So Rahane at three, Pant at four and Hetmyer and Stoinis at No.5 and No.6. This looks like a very decent top six to me," said Chopra.

The former Indian cricketer further opined that the absence of Axar Patel in the first few games might affect DC’s balance. However, Chopra also suggested that leg-spinner Amit Mishra can share the responsibilities with Ravichandran Ashwin in the spin department.

Also Read | Aakash Chopra picks his ideal RCB XI for IPL 2021, leaves out 2 prominent Australians

“There could be a few problems in the initial matches because you would have wanted Axar at No.7. If you put Ashwin at No.7, you will feel the batting is a little short. So, the first couple of games they might be struggling to find the right balance. But after that you play Ashwin and Axar, you can play Mishra also along with Ashwin,” said. Chopra.

“Then you have got Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada and play one out of Ishant and Umesh and your team is complete,” he added.

Aakash Chopra’s ideal DC XI for IPL 2021:

Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Umesh Yadav / Ishant Sharma.