IPL 2024, DC vs KKR: 3 Things That Went Wrong For DC

Rishabh Pant during his fifty vs KKR [iplt20.com]Rishabh Pant during his fifty vs KKR [iplt20.com]

The Kolkata Knight Riders are off to a dominant run in 2024 IPL, as they defeat Delhi Capitals by 106 runs in match 16 of the ongoing tournament. With this win, KKR gets to hat-trick of wins and sits at the top of the points table.

A 104-run stand followed a 60-run opening partnership for the Kolkata-based franchise, courtesy of Sunil Narine blitzkrieg and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Lusty blows late down the order from Andre Russell and Rinku Singh further bolstered the score to a gargatuan 272/7 that the Capitals batters failed to come close.

So, what really went wrong with the Delhi side in their second home? Let us have a look at it.


Axar’s under usage

When was the last time one saw Axar Patel bowl just a solitary over when the team bowled all 20 overs in an IPL game? It’s noteworthy that Axar leaked 18 runs in his first over against Raghuvanshi and Narine. But all the bowlers of Delhi Capitals had an economy of over 10 barring Sumit Kumar who was marginally short.

Axar Patel was given only a single over to bowl against KKR [iplt20.com]Axar Patel was given only a single over to bowl against KKR [iplt20.com]

Prior to this encounter, Axar bowled four overs in each of the three overs with figures of 0-25, 1-21 and 1-20. With Kuldeep Yadav and Mukesh Kumar missing out due to injuries, it was weird from the DC skipper to use only one over of quality spin when the opposition was going all guns blazing.

Axar may not be amongst the top wicket-takers this season, but his precision and control has always helped the bowlers from the other end to reap rewards.


Poor presence of mind in the field

The Capitals missed out on grabbing chances during the early phases of the first innings. Firstly, Phil Salt was dropped by David Warner at deep square leg. Although the wicketkeeper-batter did not score chunks of runs, Sunil Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi did.

Narine edged one Ishant Sharma delivery to Rishabh Pant on the fourth ball of the fourth over but Pant was late to go upstairs for the review and stated, “couldn't see the timer on the screen and there was some issue with the screen.” As a captain performing a crucial role behind the stumps, one has to be very sharp with these minute aspects.

In addition, Khaleel was also late to judge a ball in the air off Axar bowling to Raghuvanshi, resulting in a boundary. Although it was a difficult chance to go back and take a catch from short third, in an intense competition like that of IPL, a fielder has to be agile enough to grab these chances.


Key players plagued with injuries

Two of the primary Delhi Capitals bowlers were injured today. Previously, Anrich Nortje was not fit for the first game and today Kuldeep missed his second game of the season while Mukesh Kumar was not available due to injury.

Mukesh was impressive in their last game, bagging a three-fer and pulling off a brilliant victory against dominant Chennai Super Kings. In addition, Kuldeep is an attacking bowler and seldom leaks aplenty with the ball. In their place, Rasik Salam and Sumit Kumar conceded 66 runs in five overs for no wickets overall.