New Delhi: As T20 cricket keeps speeding up and batters are clearing the boundary rope with increasing ease, the value of throwdown specialists has risen sharply across modern franchise setups. In practice, they don\u2019t just help players face pace at high tempo; they also create the repetition that lets batters refine a specific stroke\u2014something that\u2019s difficult to replicate with a regular bowling unit. Today, it\u2019s common to see support staff arrive with oversized batting gloves and robo-arms at nets, while international assignments often come with dedicated throwdown nets. Within the IPL environment, however, the emphasis is less on novelty and more on sheer volume. Since no bowler can genuinely reproduce match-day intensity ball after ball in training, throwdown specialists increasingly form the \u201cengine room\u201d of team preparation. For Delhi Capitals, three such specialists are central to the process, each bringing a distinct skill set\u2014yet united by the same goal: to get the speed guns firing and the batters ready.<\/p>\n
Cricketing preparation in the franchise league is built on detail, and that begins in the nets. Delhi Capitals\u2019 squad relies on three throwdown experts who approach the craft differently\u2014through unique bowling profiles, varied sidearm angles, and an emphasis on delivering the right ball into the right zone at the right tempo.<\/p>\n
Aniket Berde, 35, hails from Kalyan in Mumbai. Before joining Praveen Amre\u2019s academy in 2013, he played club cricket in his hometown. At the academy, he bowled to players including Ajinkya Rahane, Robin Uthappa, Shreyas Iyer, Shams Mulani and Aakarshit Gomel.<\/p>\n
Berde\u2019s standout trait is his ambidexterity. He writes and fields with his left hand, but bats and bowls with his right. Explaining his path into the role, Berde said that he began as a right-arm throwdown bowler, but noticed that many others were already working predominantly as right-arm throwdown specialists. \u201cWhat makes me unique is that I\u2019m a right-hand bowler, but I throw with my left hand,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, I started doing throwdowns with my left hand slowly. Now, I can throw with both hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
His development didn\u2019t happen overnight. Up to 2016, he continued with right-hand-only throwdowns. After that, he spent the following two years working to strengthen his left-hand ability. He also described how the move to sidearm mechanics required learning a new toolset. \u201cEarlier, we used to bowl with our hands; we did not have a sidearm,\u201d he said. \u201cBut, as I got a sidearm, I started learning how to bowl with it. Then one day, I saw Raghu bowling with Ajinkya (Rahane) sir. After that, I started bowling with my right hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
From there, Berde gradually built the method in stages. \u201cFirst, I started with my right hand to bowl with a sidearm. Little by little, I developed that. Gradually, I started with my left hand as well,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo, when I tried with my left hand, I was told that I could continue. Now, I mostly bowl with my left hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Berde\u2019s entry into cricket came later than usual. He was introduced to the sport at 18 and didn\u2019t receive many immediate opportunities. With chances limited as he aged, he made the practical call to coach while still keeping his playing options open. As playing opportunities reduced, he leaned into the increasing demand for throwdown specialists and sidearm-focused bowlers. He has been with Delhi Capitals for the past year and has also spent three seasons with the Dubai Capitals in the ILT20.<\/p>\n
Darshan is the most experienced of the three throwdown specialists within Delhi Capitals. He joined the setup eight years ago, after having represented Jammu & Kashmir at the U-16 and U-19 levels.<\/p>\n
His initial attempt to break into the capital came around 2012, but a serious back injury in 2014 interrupted that journey. Two years later, he moved away from playing and shifted his entire focus toward coaching and throwdowns.<\/p>\n
Darshan is 32 and comes from the Ramban district, roughly 150 kilometres from Jammu. After his playing days ended, he worked and trained at the Sonnet Club in Delhi. In 2016, an opening arrived with Delhi Capitals.<\/p>\n
When asked what separates an effective throwdown specialist, Darshan stressed that it\u2019s not only about raw speed. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if you bowl 150 or 160 kmpg,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat matters is how many balls you\u2019re bowling into a good length area, how much in-swing and out-swing you get if you bowl a red ball. Or if you bowl with a white ball, you get more yorkers. It matters more what you bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n
His experience extends beyond the IPL as well. Darshan has worked in the ILT20 with the Dubai Capitals, the Legends League, the Asia Cup, and with the J&K domestic team. He also shared an example from his time with J&K: \u201cIn 2021, I worked with the J&K team for two years. The team was doing well then also. We were playing a lot of tournaments in the off-season.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added context about conditions and club cricket in the region. \u201cWe were going abroad to play cricket. The problem with J&K is that there is little club cricket. There is more matting cricket. If club cricket comes, it will be better. There are more bowlers because they play on the mat. If you play on the astro(turf), it will be better. There is good talent there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sai Pendam began speaking to reporters with a blend of energy and hesitation, first urging his colleagues to answer before he stepped forward himself. He is from Manikonda district in Telangana and is just about five feet tall, but height has never limited his ambitions.<\/p>\n
His switch toward sidearm and throwdown work began after corruption ended his career trajectory as an off-spinner. When he started as a sidearm specialist in 2021 at the Adnan Cricket Academy in Hyderabad\u2014on the insistence of his friend Ganesh\u2014the learning curve was steep. Pendam recalled being encouraged to trust his ability: \u201cHe (Adan) told me that I have a lot of talent. You can do it. You can go to a higher level. I started from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Within a month, he began experiencing pain in his shoulders and even considered stepping away from sidearm coaching. \u201cAt one time, I thought that I will leave sidearm (coaching),\u201d he said. \u201cHe told me that nothing would happen. He told me that this is how it starts. He told me that if I get used to it, I won\u2019t have any problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once he settled into the routine, Pendam focused on the opportunity to work with players. \u201cAfter that, I got the chance to make players practise. I didn\u2019t want money. I just wanted a chance. I was waiting for that chance,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
That chance arrived during a camp where he was spotted by Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani, DC Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao, former India wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and Ruchir Grandhi from the GMR Group.<\/p>\n
Since then, Pendam has been involved in multiple campaigns and leagues. Over the past three years with the GMR Sports fold, he has taken part in ILT20 seasons, IPL assignments and the Legends Cricket League.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi: As T20 cricket keeps speeding up and batters are clearing the boundary rope with increasing ease, the value of throwdown specialists has risen…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL Throwdown Specialists Boost Delhi Capitals Batting","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Discover how Delhi Capitals\u2019 throwdown specialists accelerate batting development, sharpen timing, and help players handle pace and power in IPL match conditions.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n