IPL 2020: Three Players Who Can Replace Chris Woakes At Delhi Capitals
Updated - 07 Mar 2020, 03:32 PM
England bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes, on Friday, announced his withdrawal from the thirteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), for Delhi Capitals. Woakes revealed his decision not to feature in the cash-rich league due to his willingness — to remain fresh for the English Test summer.
Capitals roped him in for a sum of INR 1.5 crore alongside other overseas players including Jason Roy, Shimron Hetmyer, Alex Carey, and Marcus Stoinis.
The 31-year old has represented Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018 and 2017 respectively.
Woakes’ best IPL stint came with KKR in 2017 in which he bagged 17 wickets in 13 games at 22.71. While Woakes may not be a massive loss, he can be handy in all the facets on his day. Hence, Capitals would be looking for a like-for-like replacement.
We take a look at three players who can replace Chris Woakes at Delhi Capitals:
Colin de Grandhomme:
The Zimbabwe-born Kiwi all-rounder has been in some form of late. Colin de Grandhomme has a penchant of hitting the ball as few players do. The burly right-handed batsman goes right after the bowlers from the word go and hence can perfectly line up amongst the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer.
Along with his hard-hitting ability, Grandhomme relies on the precision with the ball. His nagging accuracy with discipline for lengthy periods can not only keep the runs down, but also buy wickets. While he doesn’t possess good numbers under his belt in the IPL, Grandhomme deserves another shot, considering his capabilities.
Andile Phehlukwayo:
South Africa’s Andile Phehlukwayo is a relatively new name in international cricket. Nevertheless, the Durban-born all-rounder has a knack of getting vital breakthroughs at crucial junctures. His clever variations at all times make it difficult for the batsmen — to judge the pace, thereby deceiving him.
In some two-paced decks in sub-continent, Phehlukwayo’s medium-pace bowling could prove to be very useful.
The 24-year old is also a handy lower-order batsman, capable of holding one end as well as striking huge when needed.
All these factors prove that the Proteas’ all-rounder could be on his way on securing his first IPL contract.
David Willey:
Woakes’ fellow countryman David Willey hasn’t featured for his national side since May 2019.
Yet, he is one of the best limited-overs cricketers for England since the 2015 World Cup.
The left-arm seamer is deadly with the new ball, capable of bringing the delivery sharply back into the batsman. In 185 T20 fixtures, he has 175 wickets at an economy rate of 7.86.
With the bat, the Northampton-born all-rounder has a strike rate of 139.78. It is a testament that he can change the face of an inning thoroughly by his monstrous hitting.
If chosen, Willey would also want to improve his record in the IPL from the previous time. He played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2018, picking up only two wickets in three games at 47.50 without scoring any runs.
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Vivo IPL 2020
