The Delhi Capitals have suffered yet another loss in the season and their decision to bat first was questioned. Axar Patel, the Delhi Capitals skipper won the toss and their decision was to bat first against the Chennai Super Kings. The experts questioned the decision of the Capitals to bat first as they collapsed terribly with the bat. Their head coach told in the press conference that they have no control over the pitches and that they just play on the pitches that are presented to them. They in fact had to use Sameer Rizvi as an impact player to give them the edge of having at least 15-20 extra runs on board. It will be a difficult journey from here on in for the Capitals as they have lost many games recently and the competition for the playoffs is increasing with each game.
“ We don't have any control over the pitch in Delhi. As much as one would like to think that we’re in control of the pitches we want to play on, you play what is presented to you,” said Hemang Badani, the Head Coach of the Delhi Capitals via the post-match conference. The fans have raised their questions over the decisions over the toss and the squad selection. The inclusion of Karun Nair was also questioned and it clearly isn't the brightest period of play for the Capitals. Their struggles at the home ground has continued and the management will have to reflect on the decisions made.
Top-order dependency, inconsistent middle order, and bowling concerns deepen Delhi’s woes
The Delhi Capitals have had just one victory in their last 5 games and it has been a disappointing run after a fine start to the tournament. The reason could be the concentration of runs at the top of the order and their inability to build after early wickets. KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka have been a decent opening pair despite the criticism and the result of the matches inevitably depends on their partnerships. In the previous game against the Rajasthan Royals, their top order accumulated post of the runs and they were dismissed after putting the side in a comfortable position. The runs contributed by the middle order and lower order of Delhi Capitals has been comparatively less. Nitish Rana has been playing well for the side and he has sorted their issue at Number 3 but the form down the order has been disappointing.
Their bowling has been one of the best on paper with some stalwarts in their pace attack. The return of Mitchell Starc has added a considerable amount of value to their bowling unit and his pairing with Lungisiani Ngidi has been a major plus. Kuldeep Yadav hasn't enjoyed his best in the season as he has been considerably inconsistent with his bowling. T Natarajan has been expensive over the last couple of games and they will be lacking a proper third seamer. It will be interesting to see if they will bring much changes to their bowling unit considering their results in recent times. They will have to make some quick adjustments, if they are to pave their way back into the playoffs scenario.
Delhi Capitals have an important final phase of games remaining and their performances will be crucial with a lesser margin of error. Axar Patel and his men will be hoping to turn things around and regain their match-winning form. However, the form of their top-order will be the key to the success of the side.
