Delhi Bulls have left no stone unturned in the off-season and have procured the services of last edition’s title-winning captain Dwayne Bravo and coach Andy Flower. They have a well-balanced squad with several experienced players in their rank, along with exciting young talents.
Here, we take a look at the most important players in the Delhi Bulls line-up for The Abu Dhabi T10.
Dependable hero: Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo is no stranger to the T10 format, having played in all three editions of the tournament so far and even captaining the Maratha Arabians to the title last time. The West Indian has long been a white-ball specialist, who has played and won laurels around the world.
He has been roped in by the Delhi Bulls for his phenomenal leadership skills and the ability to deliver from both sides of the pitch. Dwayne Bravo is a gun batsman, who has amassed over 6,300 runs in T20s and scalped more than 500 wickets as a seam bowler. The Trinidadian is ahead even in the fielding department and has already dismissed 230 batsmen with his athletic presence in the field in T20s.
In the last season of The Abu Dhabi T10, Dwayne Bravo ended as the highest wicket-taker of the Maratha Arabians with eight wickets at a healthy strike rate of just over 10. He will be aiming to emulate the success with his new team when he leads the Delhi Bulls in their first match on January 28.
Player in-form: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Afghanistan’s teen sensation Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed a century on his ODI debut on January 21. Playing against Ireland, the 19-year-old struck nine sixes – the most on an ODI debut – and eight fours on his way to 127 as Afghanistan won the match by 16 runs. He also contributed from behind the stumps by stumping twice. Even in the match before that, the right-hander scored 54 runs as an opener and also had a stumping and a catch as the wicket-keeper. Most importantly, these knocks made him acquainted with the Zayed Cricket Stadium, which is also the venue for the upcoming 2020 ADT10.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s scintillating form will bolster the Delhi Bulls squad even further.
T10 veteran: Mohammad Nabi
Delhi Bulls’ all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has played with three different teams in the three previous editions of this tournament. He started with Pakhtoon and was then drafted to the Bangla Tigers squad in the second season, where he contributed impressively with both bat and ball. For the 2019 edition of The Abu Dhabi T10, Delhi Bulls signed the all-rounder. Mohammad Nabi’s batting strike rate in the previous season was well above 200, which is exactly what a team needs from a batsman in the T10 format. His highest score was a blazing 21-ball 48 against the Qalandars in the Super League stage.
A solid middle-order batsman and a crafty off-break bowler, the 36-year-old has been the tower of strength for Afghanistan since their humble beginnings more than a decade ago. The seasoned campaigner has also had T20 stints in India, England, Pakistan, and West Indies, in which he has amassed 4,267 runs and claimed 271 wickets.
Rising star: Waqar Salamkheil
At just 19 years of age, Waqar Salakheil is another young Afghan steadily climbing the ranks with his wily wrist-spin that has already earned him gigs in the Mzansi Super League (South Africa) and Pakistan Super League. With an unusually fast run-up for a spinner and a unique action, the youngster has been outshining batsmen in the domestic circuit in all formats. In 22 T20s, the Afghan has picked 33 wickets which also includes two four-wicket hauls.
Waqar Salakheil can be the ace up Delhi Bulls’ sleeve in the forthcoming season of The Abu Dhabi T10.
