"Still don't know who their No. 3 was" - Aakash Chopra on DC's batting lineup in IPL 2022
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has pointed out that Delhi Capitals couldn't find a settled playing XI in the recently concluded edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022).
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra mentioned how DC tried a number of different batters for the No. 3 spot in their batting order. He opined that the side weren't able to find the right candidate for the crucial role, with Mitchell Marsh injured in the first half.
The cricketer-turned-commentator further added that Prithvi Shaw's unavailability, along with a COVID-19 scare in the camp, made matters worse for Rishabh Pant and Co. Chopra said:
"The tournament has ended but we still don't know who DC's No. 3 was. They tried players like Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, and Mitchell Marsh for that role. They had to deal with a lot of issues as they were hit by COVID-19 and then Prithvi Shaw was also unavailable for several games."
Chopra suggested that DC erred during the IPL 2022 auction by roping in seven overseas players instead of eight. He stated that the franchise was aware that David Warner and Mitchell Marsh would not be available early on due to Australia's tour of Pakistan.
The 44-year-old highlighted that the side were left with just three foreign campaigners in their initial games of the season. He explained:
"DC had a flawed auction strategy. They signed just seven overseas players, whereas they could have picked eight. They knew beforehand that they could miss players due to their international commitments. They didn't have their overseas players in their initial games and were forced to go with Tim Seifert. They have just three foreign players available for those games."
The Delhi-based side had a disappointing campaign as they failed to make the cut for the all-important playoffs. They were eliminated from the competition after suffering a five-wicket loss to Mumbai Indians (MI) in their final league fixture.
"They missed Kagiso Rabada" - Aakash Chopra on DC's bowling lineup in IPL 2022
Chopra noted that DC relied a lot on their spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel as their pacers couldn't make a significant impact throughout the tournament. He reckoned that they missed Kagiso Rababa, who was their premier fast bowler in the previous season.
Chopra remarked:
"Their bowling wasn't up to the mark, especially during the death overs. While their spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel did a good job, their pacers weren't able to deliver consistently. They missed Kagiso Rabada. Anrich Nortje wasn't really on song throughout the season."
It is worth mentioning that Kuldeep Yadav emerged as the top performer for DC with the ball in IPL 2022. The left-arm spinner bagged 21 wickets from 14 games. When it comes to their pace attack, Khaleel Ahmed bagged the most wickets as he finished with 16 scalps from his 10 appearances.