Mar 27: South Africa’s explosive left-handed batsman JP Duminy has been chosen to lead the Delhi Daredevils in this year’s Indian Premier League. He succeeds Kevin Pietersen, who is also one of the 13 players not bought back by the franchise in February’s auction due to their rebuilding strategy, having finished at the bottom of the points table last year.
However, Duminy is one of the few players who will be playing for the second consecutive season for Delhi and was preferred over World Cup winning Indian allrounder Yuvraj Singh and current Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews.
Like last year, Yuvraj was once again the most sought-after player in the world by all the franchise and managed to fetch Rs.16 crore. Delhi had the biggest purse than all the other teams, and used that to their advantage with the aim of finding the right balance for the team.
Yuvraj has had past experience in leading an IPL team, notably Kings XI Punjab in 2008 and 2009 and Pune Warriors India in 2011. Plus his match-winning ability and the aura he possesses in the minds of the younger Indian players can hardly be questioned.
Yet, the Daredevils management wasn’t entirely on board of handing the captaincy to him and instead found the reasons for selecting Duminy more apt. Hemant Dua, CEO of Delhi Daredevils, is of the opinion that Duminy is the "right choice" as he is a "composed individual and well respected by his teammates and peers."
In the past, Duminy had clearly harboured captaincy ambitions for South Africa and in fact did lead them in the three-match Twenty20 series against Australia in November 2014 as stand-in captain for Faf du Plessis.
The advantage Duminy gives to the side this year is the fact that he is in line with the vision that the franchise has, having already played for them last year and thoroughly understanding the set-up. Plus he has had a very solid professional bonding with head coach Gary Kirsten, as the two have worked together for South Africa as well was for the Cape Cobras in South African domestic cricket.
Their mutual respect has been very evident as Kirsten has been one of Duminy’s biggest backers over the years, believing that he has both, talent and attitude to be considered an X-factor for the Proteas.
Many who know a lot about South African cricket are aware that Duminy has been an integral part of South Africa’s leadership group for a while now, even if he hasn’t been declared leader officially. An immensely likeable guy, Duminy was also named the president of the influential South African Players' Association.
"JP is the right choice to lead the team for the upcoming season," Kirsten said in a media release. "He has the necessary experience and demeanour to take the team forward. I have seen him progress and mature as a player and leader through the years with the South African national team."
If all that wasn’t convincing enough, Duminy also has present form and past records on his side. He was the Daredevils' best batsman by far the previous season with 410 runs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 134. The South African was honoured to be selected and believes that the Delhi could "turn around the fortunes".
For that, he would need strong backing from the seniors in the squad, that too Yuvraj who is a lot more accomplished than him. Dua said that Duminy’s leadership is likely to give Yuvraj the license to go out and focus on as well as enjoy his own game rather than pressurizing him to take decisions.
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