Himmat Singh-led Delhi looks to end 16-year Ranji Trophy title drought this season

Delhi last tasted Ranji Trophy success 16 years ago, in 2007-08, and the last time it reached the final was in 2017-18. After this long barren run, during which the team and administration courted numerous controversies, the Himmat Singh-captained team is optimistic about rewriting the script and bringing cheer to the starved fans of the national capital.

Delhi has clinched the Ranji Trophy, the Indian national cricket championship, seven times since their first victory in 1978-79 under the legendary Bishan Singh Bedi’s captaincy. By comparison, Mumbai, the most successful team, has won the title a staggering 42 times since the tournament’s inception in 1934-35.

Delhi, therefore, has a lot of catching up to do to match Mumbai’s record. The 2024-25 season, which begins on October 11, marks the first step toward that goal. For that to happen, the Delhi team will have to put behind the controversies of last season, when they once again failed to qualify for the quarterfinals despite fielding 26 players. In 2022-23, they used 22 players.

Also read: Why doesn’t DDCA stop the exodus of its cricketers?

Fresh challenges

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has announced an 18-member squad for the first two matches—against Chhattisgarh from October 11 in Raipur and against Tamil Nadu from October 18 in Delhi.

Himmat Singh, who has been retained as captain, is upbeat about the new challenges, having recently excelled with the bat in the T20 Delhi Premier League, where he led the East Delhi Riders to the title.

“I’ll go out of my way to say this: I want to win all three domestic titles – Ranji Trophy, the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, and the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. It’s not easy, but that is what I want to do and that is what I will try to do for my team,” Himmat told Patriot. “I’ll try to motivate the players in every way possible. But you need to break it down match by match. And then, suddenly, your journey, that goal, seems possible.”

The squad has largely been selected on merit this time. However, as selection is subjective, no committee can satisfy everyone. The selection of players has once again come under scrutiny, though not as intensely as in previous years.

In addition to the two uncapped openers, Dhruv Kaushik and Sanat Sangwan, under-19 World Cup-winning India captain Yash Dhull can also open the innings, although he has been rather unfairly moved up and down the order. Himmat, hard-hitting Ayush Badoni, Jonty Sidhu, and Mayank Rawat form the middle order.

Delhi’s bowling attack comprises four medium pacers: Navdeep Saini, who has represented India in all three formats and is expected to be picked for the upcoming Australian tour; pacer Himanshu Chauhan, who caught the eye last season; Simarjeet Singh; and newcomer Monty Grewal, who took 22 wickets at an excellent average of 17.59 in four under-23 Col CK Nayudu Trophy matches last season.

Critics, however, point out the “lack of variety” in the bowling department, particularly the absence of a left-arm pacer. While the selection committee, headed by former India batsman Gursharan Singh, has been “barred” from discussing player selection, a source close to the selectors countered the criticism, saying, “Has the Indian team never played with bowlers of the same type in their ranks?”

The DDCA initially announced a long list of 84 players, including Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, before narrowing it down to the 18-player squad for the first two matches. Kohli and Pant are expected to miss the entire Ranji Trophy season as they are likely to be on national duty.

Tough road ahead

In the new season, the Delhi team, the selectors, and, above all, the DDCA management face the challenging task of erasing the memories of the 2023-24 season when the team failed to make it to the quarterfinals.

Seven-time champions Delhi have been placed in Elite D Group, which presents tough competition. Tamil Nadu, Saurashtra, and the Railways – all two-time champions – will provide Himmat’s team with tough matches. The other teams in the group – Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Assam, and Chandigarh – are comparatively weaker.

In total, Delhi, like the other teams in their group, will play seven matches. Unfortunately, Delhi is scheduled to play four away matches and only three at home. One significant disadvantage of playing away is that the host association gets the right to prepare pitches that suit their team. Hosts are also more familiar with local conditions and have the support of the home crowd.

The top two teams from all four elite groups, comprising 32 teams, will directly qualify for the quarterfinals. The bottom two teams from all elite groups combined, based on points (followed by bonus points, wins, and then the quotient, if required), will be relegated to the lower group for the 2025-26 season.

Relishing captaincy

Himmat says he relishes captaining Delhi. “Yes, definitely. I am honoured that the DDCA chose me as captain, and I had the opportunity to lead the side. The team did well after the first two or three games. Now, we just need to start the tournament strong, and hopefully, we’ll achieve all our goals,” he said optimistically.

“What I feel is that you cannot run away from responsibilities. If someone has given you a responsibility, it’s a privilege, and you should be honoured. I just try to give my best, be honest, and God will take care of the rest. That’s what I believe in. And I believe in myself,” he says.

Himmat also points out that unlike last season, the Ranji Trophy is beginning earlier and hopefully in clearer weather. In 2024-25, the tournament began in the first week of January and was impacted by inclement weather.

Also read: I just need one big season to turn it around: Himmat Singh

A forgettable past

The 2023-24 season was a forgettable one for Delhi. It began with a shocking nine-wicket defeat to minnows Pondicherry at home, at the Ferozeshah Kotla grounds. In a knee-jerk reaction, the selection committee replaced captain Dhull with Himmat from the second match onwards. But the damage was already done, and in the end, the defeat to Pondicherry proved very costly for Delhi.

The defeat to Pondicherry, a rain-affected draw against Jammu and Kashmir in Jammu, and a loss to Madhya Pradesh in Indore prevented Delhi from progressing to the quarterfinals.

Himmat partly blames the weather for Delhi’s poor performance. “Last year was a tough season because, firstly, the conditions we played in were very difficult, as they were not suitable for batting. Yes, the pitches were helpful and the ball was swinging, all of that. The matches were on and off, so it became mentally draining for batters. You don’t know when you’re going to go back in because of the fog,” he explained.

Despite Delhi’s abysmal performance, four players stood out for their individual brilliance. Dhull seemingly put the sacking behind him and ended up with the highest run aggregate (450 at an average of 40.90 in 13 innings across seven matches), while Himmat was close behind with 411 in 12 innings from seven games.

In the bowling department, speedster Chauhan was outstanding, capturing 30 wickets at an excellent average of 18.76 in just seven matches. Off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen bagged 17 wickets, including three five wicket hauls, in five games. Delhi will hope they can replicate their performances.

The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi and has covered sports for over three decades