IPL 2018 : 5 Key Indian players for Delhi Daredevils

IPL 2018 will be the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League. The league has completely transformed cricket in India both in terms of quality and popularity.

In every season, a number of young and highly talented Indian players use the IPL as a platform to enter the Indian cricket team.

Delhi Daredevils are yet to win the coveted IPL trophy.

The franchise has a huge fan base, especially in the northern part of India.They are known to play an aggressive brand of cricket that is highly attractive to watch.

They bank heavily on local Indian talent and invest heavily in young Indian players. The Delhi outfit have picked up some good Indian players from the player auction for IPL 2018 to further empower this tradition.

Here, we look at five Indian players who will play a key role for the Delhi Daredevils in this year's IPL:

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#1 Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami has been surrounded by a lot of controversies lately. However, the right arm pacer has been cleared by the BCCI to play in the IPL.

Shami will have a tough task to focus entirely on his cricket as the controversies that have jolted his personal life may play on his mind.

He is extremely talented and if he shows good form in IPL 2018, then the Delhi Daredevils' fans will have a lot to cheer about. He is crucial for the pace attack and his partnership with the likes of Kagiso Rabada could prove to be deadly.

He has played 39 matches in the IPL so far in which he has taken 18 wickets at an economy rate of 8.96 runs per over, his best figures being two wickets for 34 runs.

#2 Rishabh Pant

IPL 2018 is crucial for Pant

Rishabh Pant, the explosive wicket-keeper batsman, will play for the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2018. He lit up IPL 2017 with a few scintillating innings and it appeared that he was ready for the big stage.

A string of poor performances in the Indian domestic season, however, meant that he had to wait for his call-up to the Indian cricket team. Hence, IPL 2018 is extremely crucial for him to get back into the reckoning for national team selection.

Pant is known for his hard-hitting and dominating style of play. On his day, he can dismantle a bowling attack by playing strokes all around the wicket.

He will be crucial at the top of the order for the Delhi Daredevils as he would aptly utilize the fielding restrictions up front. He will also have a crucial responsibility behind the wickets as well.

Rishabh Pant has played 24 IPL games in total in which he has scored 564 runs at an impressive strike rate of 151.20. He has scored three half-centuries in the process.

#3 Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer in action

Shreyas Iyer is one of the three players who were retained by the Delhi Devils for IPL 2018. The right-handed batsman is supremely talented and has a wise head on his shoulders.

He has scored runs in abundance in the Indian domestic circuit in the past few seasons. He can play all the shots in the book and he specializes in pacing up an innings.

Iyer would be crucial for the Delhi Daredevils as the batting order would revolve around him. He adds solidity in a batting order filled with power hitters, and can also increase the scoring rate as and when required.

He has featured in 32 IPL games so far and has scored 807 runs at a strike rate of 128.50, and averages 27.82 with the bat in the tournament. He also has six half-centuries to his name.

#4 Amit Mishra

Mishra will lead the spin attack of the Delhi Daredevils

Amit Mishra will be a vital cog in the Delhi bowling unit. The leg-spinner has been around for a long time now and has experienced high-pressure situations.

He has a bag full of tricks and constantly keeps the batsmen guessing with all his variations. He is slow through the air and is an out an out wicket-taker.

Mishra will lead the spin-attack of the Delhi Daredevils and will have a crucial responsibility of picking up wickets in the middle overs. Feroz Shah Kotla is not the biggest ground in the world and hence the spinners always have a tough job at Delhi Daredevils's home venue.

He has picked up 134 wickets in 126 matches in the IPL with an economy of 7.41 runs per over with best figures of 5/17. His wicket-taking record is staggering and the Delhi management would hope for more of the same from him in IPL 2018.

#5 Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir will lead Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2018

Gautam Gambhir is back to Delhi Daredevils for IPL 2018 and the elegant left-hander will be looking to lead the Delhi outfit to their first ever IPL triumph. To say that his stay with the Kolkata Knight Riders was profitable would be an understatement.

He displayed excellent leadership skills throughout his tenure at Kolkata with the Knight Riders and he led them to multiple IPL triumphs. His batting also flourished and he was efficient at the top of the KKR batting order.

The Delhi management will hope that he reproduces those great performances and comes good at the top of the order for the Delhi Daredevils. He is an excellent timer of the cricket ball and is an ideal T20 opener.

He still has a lot of cricket left in him and he would hope that he has a good IPL 2018. His presence in the Delhi dressing room will be useful for youngsters and they will surely get to learn a lot from Gambhir.

He has scored 4132 runs in 148 IPL games so far. He strikes the ball at an impressive rate of 124.60 in the league and has 35 half-centuries to his name. His average of 31.78 is also quite impressive.