IPL 2018: 3 mistakes Delhi Daredevils made against Kings XI PunjabÂ
The Delhi Daredevils lost to Kings XI Punjab by 6 wickets in their first game of IPL 2018. They would want to put this performance behind them and get back to winning ways as soon as possible.
Other than captain Gautam Gambhir's valiant half-century, the Delhi franchise didn't have any positives to take away from the game. On paper, the Delhi Daredevils are stronger than ever, but things didn't go too well for them in their season opener.
They need to find their winning stride immediately if they hope to make an impact in IPL 2018. Here's an analysis of three strategical mistakes that probably cost them the match.
#1 Vijay Shankar coming in ahead of Rishabh Pant
At 54-1 after 6.4 overs, the team was in a fairly strong position. Unfortunately, Shreyas Iyer got out in the very next ball. A lot of people were left surprised when Vijay Shankar walked in to bat instead of Rishabh Pant.
Pant was retained by the Delhi Daredevils ahead of IPL 2018 after he put on a string of consistent batting performances for them last season. Had he batted before Vijay, he would have helped stabilize the innings.
The team could've put up a lot more than the paltry 166 runs they scored in the first innings and even gone on to win the match. The Delhi Daredevils think tank will have to reconsider the batting order ahead of their next game.