IPL 2022: No weak links for Delhi Capitals; Marsh's availability will strengthen us, says Watson

Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Delhi Capitals assistant coach Shane Watson believes there are no weak links in their team and the availability of the fit-again Mitchell Marsh for the side's upcoming fixture against Royals Challengers Bangalore on Saturday, will make them "really hard to beat now".

The 30-year old Marsh had sustained a hip-flexor injury during the white-ball leg of the Pakistan tour last month and had been undergoing his rehabilitation with Capitals, under head physio Patrick Farhart.

The Australia all-rounder will likely come in on Saturday and bat one-down, Watson revealed.

"I think we've got one of the strongest teams now and now Mitchell Marsh is going to be coming back in. It's looking like he'd be coming in for the next game... We're not going to have too many, no real weak links at all now with just the way the franchise picked up players at the auction," Warner said in an interview with the Grade Cricketer on Friday.

"The international quality Indian fast bowlers, for example, Shardul Thakur and we've got Khaleel Ahmed, who's just incredibly skilful as well. Also spin, our international-quality spinners, with Kuldeep Yadav, who is bowling amazingly well as well as Axar Patel... So, there's not too many weak links and Mitch Marsh is coming in to bat most probably No 3. It just gives us even more strength, so we're going to be really hard to beat now that we've got our sort of full squad together, our best team together really. And it just depends on injuries along the way, but it's exciting," he added.

The Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals have won two out of their four matches in the ongoing IPL 2022 so far. Player-of-the-Match Kuldeep Yadav and their openers -- David Warner, Prithvi Shaw had starred in their most recent victory against KKR.

Warner, who hadn't played any 20-over matches since the final of the T20 World Cup in November last year, top-scored with 61 in that game after kicking off his IPL 2022 season with just 4 runs against Lucknow Super Giants.

"He [Warner] was a little bit sort of undone against Super Giants. You could see he was just a little bit tentative. But then the next game that Delhi Capitals played, he was at his best straightaway.

So, the combination with him and Prithvi Shaw as well - it's going to be really awesome to watch every time they got to play throughout this tournament because Prithvi Shaw is an absolute freak of nature as well," Watson said of his former Australia teammate.

With Marsh's likely inclusion and Warner finding his fluency, Watson expected Capitals' batting to hit another gear. But, as with most of the other franchises, he feels that zeroing in on the best playing XI has been a challenge for his side this season.

"I suppose one thing it comes down to is the 10 teams. It's just stretched out the talent pool...," he said.

"One of the most important things coming into Delhi Capitals, for example, is trying to get the team to come together as quick as possible, work through as quick as you possibly can, what your combinations are going to be, and then try to stick with them for as long as you possibly can because teams are still chopping and changing a little bit of their combinations - sometimes with injury but more so just working through who's going to play where," he added.