IPL 2021: "They don't have the title winning pedigree at the moment" - Carlos Brathwaite on DC's chances of a maiden title
West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite termed Delhi Capitals (DC) as favorites to make it to the finals, but is unsure about their caliber to clinch their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title. The Delhi Capitals only have a single IPL finals appearance to their name, which came in the previous edition in the UAE.
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DC have made an imperious start to the second leg following a comfortable win over bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad. They came into the UAE as league leaders and are now giving CSK a run for their money in the chase for the top spot.
Under Rishabh Pant's leadership, the franchise have only tasted defeat twice. Despite the team's impressive IPL 2021 campaign so far, Carlos Braitwaite feels that despite their rise over the course of the last couple of years, they still lack the title-winning pedigree.
While previewing Delhi Capitals' clash against the Rajasthan Royals, Brathwaite said:
"Delhi Capitals are favourites for the final, not sure about the title as they don't have the title winning pedigree at the moment."
DC are an even more formidable outfit in the second leg with the returns of Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and Amit Mishra back among their ranks.
They are well poised to make it to the playoffs and could potentially seal a top 2 finish if they manage to avoid any hiccups towards the end. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes DC are the runaway favorites to win IPL 2021. Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, he said:
"Yes, Delhi Capitals are favourites to win the title. Very much so."
Stoinis will be a huge miss for DC: Carlos Brathwaite
All-rounder Marcus Stoinins is a doubt for the fixture against RR after injuring his hamstring in the contest against SRH. He pulled his hamstring while bowling the seventh delivery of his over.
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Fellow all-rounder Brathwaite feels Stoinis will be a huge miss for DC across all departments. Brathwaite added:
"Yes, Stoinis will definitely be a huge miss for DC. Not only with ball, but also with the bat, in the field and his overall character and persona around the team."
Manjrekar, on the other hand, feels Stoinis will not be missed that much since the other batsmen are in excellent form. He added:
"Yes, but not as big a miss if some of the other batters were not so much in good form."
With CSK heading back to the top of the table after their win over RCB, DC will hope to reclaim their spot with a win in Abu Dhabi.