Rajasthan show royal performance against doomed Delhi Capitals
Saturday and Sunday in the IPL weekend are usually fun. Not when you watch Delhi Capitals, as it is more of a horror show.
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There is a difference between a snail’s pace and a crawl. Which one suits Delhi Capitals best can be left to the collective imagination of fans of this franchise, the numbers of which are dwindling. In what can be termed as a horrible way to spend the Easter weekend, it was “capital punishment” of a different sort as David Warner’s side was whipped by Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
Saturday and Sunday in the IPL weekend are usually fun. Not when you watch Delhi Capitals, as it is more of a horror show. This one, too, was no different as Delhi were doomed. One runs out of adjectives, and hope, while watching this franchise. It may still be early days in the 16th edition of the IPL but three losses in a row, a hat-trick not to feel proud of, hurts Delhi fans.
First things first, full marks to Rajasthan. Their performance was royal, where Yashasvi Jaiswal showed how much of a rock star he is in this domestic league. Fans have raved about many great performers over the years. Yet, what Yashasvi has done as an opener is solid and brutal. In tandem with Jos Buttler, Rajasthan were in brute form.
The key in this format is how runs are scored in the first six overs. Boy oh boy, these two dudes, one desi and the other from Britain, showed no mercy to Delhi Capitals. Yashasví’s strike rate of 193.55 in his 60-run essay spoke volumes about his hammering power while Buttler scored a massive 79.
It was, by all standards, a disaster for Delhi Capitals
Given Delhi’s poor form this season — nothing new — they just did not have the bowling resources to curtail Rajasthan. A score of 199 runs in 20 over is not too great. That is, provided, the team chasing has the bandwidth and strength to make a fight of it. Last year’s finalist, Rajasthan Royals are in the zone. The way they have shaped up as a fighting fit unit exposed Delhi.
David Warner was the man on whom Delhi relied. He belied expectations as his own batting this season has been very unlike Warner. The 2023 Warner version seems like an impostor, really. The way strike rates in the IPL are soaring like a stock market during a bull run, Warner was the anti-thesis. For the record, he crossed 6,000 runs in the IPL on Saturday. But that was of no use and just a mere stat.
His slow batting was like getting stuck in a traffic jam. Not able to speed, despite blaring horns from behind (dugout) in the IPL was magnified. His 65 off 55 balls was painful viewing. Not what one expects from the seasoned Aussie pro who is leading Delhi Capitals in the absence of injured Rishabh Pant.
How does one overlook the bowling efforts of Trent Boult and Ravichandran Ashwin? If Boult was effective as a fast bowler and took two wickets, Ashwin was a class apart. The 36-year-old man from Chennai is getting more cunning these days. If it is Test cricket, you can give him the red cherry when it is just an over old. You can then expect Ashwin to bat and score runs as well, as one saw in the BGT Series against Australia.
In T20, where the spinners have to keep innovating, Ashwin is a class act. He lets it rip, he bamboozles the batters with his variety. He may not be lean but he is mean, does not leak runs, and grabs wickets. On Saturday, Ashwin’s four overs were gilt-edged as his analysis read 4-0-25-2.
When bowlers use the choke chain on batters, it’s awful. Rajasthan did that to Delhi and the losing team scored 142 for nine in 20 overs. It was, by all standards, a disaster for Delhi Capitals. Warner, Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting, and big boss Sourav Ganguly will not know where to hide their faces after this hat-trick of losses.
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)