IPL 2021: "There are plenty of things that have gone wrong and that worries me" - Aakash Chopra on the Delhi Capitals' problems

The Delhi Capitals have come up short in their last two matches [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra feels the Delhi Capitals (DC) have been troubled by quite a few issues and have an uphill task ahead of them to make the IPL 2021 final.

The Delhi Capitals face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in tonight's Qualifier 2 encounter in Sharjah. The winner of the match will take on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the title decider on Friday.

While previewing tonight's Indian Premier League encounter in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted that things have started to go haywire for the Delhi Capitals. He elaborated:

"There are plenty of things that have gone wrong and that worries me because I like Delhi as a franchise but if you don't play well, you will not win. The Delhi Capitals' task is going to be slightly difficult."

The former India cricketer added that the Delhi Capitals have not been at their best in the UAE, although they did finish atop the IPL 2021 points table. Chopra observed:

"Delhi have lost their last two matches to reach here. They have won, came first in the league but they have not looked convincing in this leg of the IPL. That's been the story. Their team is good but they are not playing well."

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The Delhi Capitals have suffered reversals in their last two matches against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in edge-of-the-seat thrillers. They were also defeated by KKR by three wickets at the same venue as tonight's encounter.

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Aakash Chopra on the Delhi Capitals' batting issues

Prithvi Shaw gave the Delhi Capitals a flying start against CSK [P/C: iplt20.com]

While reflecting on the Delhi Capitals' batting concerns, Aakash Chopra reckons Prithvi Shaw's buccaneering approach might not work in Sharjah. He reasoned:

"Opening is going to be very difficult on this pitch. You will not get the pace and you will not be able to play the big shots. You have to graft and score runs and that is where I think Prithvi will find it difficult. His chances of scoring runs on this pitch are less."

While highlighting that Shreyas Iyer seems to have lost his touch, the former KKR player believes the Delhi Capitals need to bring an additional batter in place of Tom Curran. Chopra explained:

"Shreyas Iyer's form has nosedived at a crucial juncture of this tournament. After that, Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer come. After that, they send anyone. You need to strengthen your batting on this ground. You need to drop Tom Curran. He does not have a place in this team for this match. If Stoinis is available, play him, else I will say play Ripal Patel."

"Steve Smith, probably, against a bowling lineup like this - against pace & against spin - he plays really well. So, I would definitely push him at no.3 and probably bat around him. Because, you need 140-150 on this wicket." - Gambhir (in ESPN Cricinfo) #DCvsKKR #IPL2021

The Delhi Capitals also have the option of bringing in either Steve Smith or Sam Billings if they want to strengthen their batting. Considering the bowler-friendly surface at Sharjah, they should certainly look to add depth to their batting.