ILT20 TEAM GUIDE: An explosive middle-order and a well-balanced bowling attack needs to mask over a top-order which may struggle, says CHARUDATTA LATURKAR
Coach: Phil Simmons
The former West Indies head coach will lead Capitals in their debut season. He recently stepped down from his second stint leading the national side following their first-round exit from the T20 World Cup and will have a change of scene on the franchise circuit. In Rovman Powell and Fabian Allen, he has some familiar faces at his disposal. The 59-year-old has previously worked with Zimbabwe, Ireland, Afghanistan and Brampton Wolves during his coaching career.
Captain: Rovman Powell
Completing the West Indies axis in the leadership department is Powell. A middle-order batter who occasionally bowls medium pace, Powell he has chalked up franchise appearances in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as well as earning 55 T20I caps for West Indies. In 2022, he captained Jamaica Tallawahs to their third CPL title.
Captain Rovman Powell will bring plenty of power (Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
BATTING
Power hitters
A number of names stand out in this department, including Powell – who memorably blasted 107 off just 53 balls against England in 2022, Sri Lanka's Dasun Shanaka and Afghanistan international Hazratullah Zazai. Both players boast strike rates in excess of 140 while almost 75 per cent of Zazai's career runs in the format have come from boundaries.
Scotland's George Munsey is also an exciting talent at the top of the order, boasting a career strike rate of 143.27 and a penchant for the reverse sweep. And of course, there's no counting out 40-year-old Yusuf Pathan. The former India allrounder is something of a surprise selection but with 274 T20 appearances and nearly 5,000 runs, he knows a thing or two about batting.
Anchor
This could certainly be a role fulfilled by Joe Root during his brief stint with the Capitals in what is a rare franchise outing. He is certainly not a power hitter and hasn't made an international appearance in the format since 2019, but with a healthy average of 32.54 and a strike rate around the 125-mark, he still has a role to play to calming things down and keeping the scoreboard ticking over. Meanwhile, UAE batter Chirag Suri has scored seven half-centuries in 31 T20s and boasts an average of 29.17.
Finisher
Powell is the obvious candidate here. His aforementioned fireworks against England were not a one-off – in 2018, he was named player of the final after smashing 61 off 25 for Northern Warriors in the Abu Dhabi T10 while in the most recent edition of the tournament, his 196 runs came at an eyewatering strike rate of 245.
Sikandar Raza showcased his finisher potential during the T20 World Cup, blasting 219 runs at a strike rate of 147.97, while the likes of Fabian Allen and Ravi Bopara are no slouches with the bat.
Problem areas
The Capitals have a good mix of right and left-handed batters, a number of highly experienced players and an abundance of middle-order talent, with Powell, Raza, Bopara, Shanaka and even someone like Allen all springing to mind.
However, they are a lot lighter in the top four, meaning some may have to play out of position and do not have an obvious anchor whom they can rely on to score a weight of runs. Furthermore, someone like Munsey may not even make it into the XI due to the need to shoehorn in anyone who can bowl (more on that later).
Fred Klaassen celebrates knocking over South Africa at the World Cup (BRENTON EDWARDS/AFP via Getty Images)
BOWLING
Speed merchants
Left-armer Fred Klaassen is probably the fastest bowler at the Capitals' disposal. The Netherlands international has taken 105 wickets in 98 T20 appearances and impressed at the recent T20 World Cup, with eight wickets and an economy of 6.36.
Isuru Udana, a fellow leftie, is known for his variations of pace, particularly his slower ball, while international teammate Shanuka – a steady right-arm seamer – will likely have to chip in with a number of overs every match due to the paucity of pace options in the squad.
Chamika Karunaratne, Bopara, and Powell (an occasional right-arm medium-pacer) are the best of the rest.
Variation
Mujeeb ur Rahman is the standout spinner in the Capitals squad. The 21-year-old Afghan, who bowls right-arm off-spin, has taken 49 wickets in 36 T20Is and already has over 200 career appearances to his name across the format. Afghanistan coach Andy Moles has labelled him the "complete package" and he also dabbles in leg spin and googlies to keep batters guessing.
In Raza (right-arm off-spin) and Fabian Allen (left-arm orthodox), there is further spin depth and both players add something with the bat which should give Simmons some flexibility in his XI. Meanwhile, Jash Ginayani, who like Allen bowls left-arm orthodox, has impressed for UAE Under-19s.
Problem areas
The Capitals' spin attack is the stuff of envy and Bond could face selection headaches if he is forced to leave out one of Allen or Raza.
The same cannot, however, be said of the pace attack, which looks light on X-factor quality and depth following the withdrawals of Dushmantha Chameera, Blessing Muzarabani and IPL record-signing Sam Curran.
On the plus side, there is a nice variation of right and left-handers, but Klaassen is probably the nearest thing they have to an out-and-out pacer. Their other quick options are largely all-rounders. The spinners could find themselves rather over-burdened and an injury or two in the pace department could prove costly.
Niroshan Dickwella rarely misses a beat (ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
Who takes the gloves?
Niroshan Dickwella is pretty much the only wicketkeeping option for Capitals. The 29-year-old is a bit of a floating batter, both opening and playing in the middle order throughout his career, but is a useful asset thanks to his strike rate of 136. He has taken 63 catches and 19 stumpings throughout his T20 career and has picked up 28 T20I caps for Sri Lanka.
Squad: Rovman Powell (captain), Dasun Shanaka, Fabian Allen, Mujeeb Rahman, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Sikandar Raza, Hazratullah Zazai, Chirag Suri, Daniel Lawrence, Jash Ginayani, Niroshan Dickwella, Fred Klaassen, George Munsey, Hazrat Luqman, Akif Raja, Joe Root, Robin Uthappa, Ravi Bopara, Yusuf Pathan, Ollie White
Possible starting XI: Hazratullah Zazai, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chirag Suri, Dan Lawrence, Rovman Powell, Dasun Shanaka, Fabian Allen, Niroshan Dickwella, Isuru Udana, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fred Klaassen
Fixtures: January 13 - Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 2pm GMT), January 16 - Gulf Giants (Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 2pm), January 19 - Gulf Giants (Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 2pm), January 21 - Sharjah Warriors (Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 10am), January 22 - MI Emirates (Sheikh Zayed Stadium, 2pm), January 26 - Sharjah Warriors (Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 2pm), January 28 - Desert Vipers (Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 2pm), January 30 - Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Sheikh Zayed Stadium, 2pm), February 2 - Desert Vipers (Dubai International Cricket Stadium, 2pm), February 5 - MI Emirates (Dubai international Cricket Stadium, 2pm)
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