Who said what: 3 top expert opinions on Delhi Capitals bowing out from IPL 2023
If you were in the Delhi Capitals' (DC) dressing room, you would not want to reflect on how the team has performed so far. There's not much to discuss anyway.
This season has been a classic case of Murphy's Law for the Capitals. Everything that could have gone wrong for them went wrong.
When their batting clicked, their bowling failed, and vice versa. They never arrived in the IPL 2023 as a gelled unit, and that clearly reflected in their tactics, approach, and execution.
If we dig deep to explore the reasons behind their early exit from the tournament, then the first problem that emerges is their domestic Indian batsmen's struggle throughout the tournament.
They structured their team, which was top-heavy with overseas recruits playing at the top, so that their domestic players didn't have to do the heavy lifting.
But despite that, the Capitals lost the most number of wickets in the powerplay (25 so far), losing two or more wickets more often than not. Their SR of 122.35 in the powerplay didn't help their cause either, as they struggled to provide a base for the rest of the batsmen to take advantage of.
Their Indian batting unit consisting Manish Pandey, Sarfaraz Khan, Ripal Patel was among the worst-performing in the tournament, with an overall average of 16.16. During their final run in IPL 2021, the Capitals' Indian core averaged 31.27.
And the most talked-about point in the entire tournament was why the Delhi Capitals were reluctant to utilize Axar Patel properly.
Axar, despite being sent into bat at No. 7 mostly (thrice at No. 6), did manage to amass 268 runs at a SR close to 140. He also picked up 10 wickets at a mean economy of 6.80, bowling 42.7% dot balls, which certainly points towards one thing for sure: Delhi Capitals management missed a trick by not giving enough opportunities to their most valuable player this season, Axar Patel.
Axar's impact can be understood by the fact that, if we take out his runs, then the average of Indian batsmen for the Delhi Capitals drops to a paltry 13.07.
One can argue that they missed the services of Rishabh Pant, who was ruled out of the tournament due to an unfortunate car accident, leaving the side with a big void to fill. Not only did they lose a leader, but also a left-handed wicketkeeper in the middle who used to be a spin-bashing option in the middle.
But one player's loss should not, or rather must not, impact a team, but David Warner's wayward tactics and the senior batsmen's lack of taking responsibility resulted in their early exit from the tournament.
Now that they have bowed out of IPL 2023, several cricket analysts and former players have their share of opinions on their season.
In this article, we will look at three of the best reactions from cricket pundits.
3 expert comments on the Delhi Capitals' exit from the IPL 2023
#3. "Capitals should think about their shot selection" - Ian Bishop
The former West Indian pace bowler-turned-commentator, who is known for his blunt reviews and analysis, didn't mince his words at all and stated that the Delhi Capitals were let down by their batsmen's poor shot selection.
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Bishop said:
"Now that the Delhi Capitals are out of the tournament, they should look back and think about their shot selection and make better choices against certain bowlers."
#2. "Delhi didn't utilize their home conditions" - Joy Bhattacharjya
Joy Bhattacharjya emphasized the point that Delhi management didn't plan and used their home conditions to their advantage. He also said that since the Capitals are out of playoff contention, they should look to test their bench strength in the remaining matches.
Speaking at Cricbuzz Live, he said:
"Delhi has technically one match left at home, and how did the coach and management agree their Dharamshala matches to be played in the backend of the tournament?" Look at Rajasthan, who planned their Guwahati home matches at the beginning of the season."
"What Delhi might actually do is say, "Let's try for new kids; let's give them a chance; let's see what they can do."
#1. "Delhi is getting nothing from their overseas batters" - Harsha Bhogle
Harsha Bhogle pointed out the lack of contribution from overseas batsmen for the Delhi Capitals, with Mitchell Marsh and Rilee Rossouw averaging 14.22 and 16.4 respectively in IPL 2023.
What a turnaround. #DelhiCapitals getting nothing from their overseas batters Marsh and Rossouw.
He took it to the social media platform Twitter to vent his opinion on the Capitals' exit from the tournament.