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Former Indian batter Ajay Jadeja reckons that Thursday’s (5 May) IPL 2022 clash against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is extremely crucial for the Delhi Capitals (DC) to stay alive in the competition. He pointed out that while Delhi have played one game fewer than most other franchises, they have only four wins to their name so far.
DC have gone down in three of their last five matches. In their previous game, they went down to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by six runs, failing to chase down 196.
Previewing Delhi's upcoming clash against Hyderabad at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, Jadeja said on Cricbuzz that DC will need to lift their game before it is too late. He explained:
“Very crucial match for Delhi. They have played one game lesser than other franchises, but have only eight points. Even if they beat SRH, the teams will be equal on points. So I think this is a hugely significant moment for DC. Things have not been going well for them in recent matches. And now, if they lose this game, their campaign might derail.”
Against Lucknow, DC conceded 195 for three while bowling first. Shardul Thakur was the only bowler to claim wickets while the likes of Mustafizur Rahman, Axar Patel and even Kuldeep Yadav went wicketless.
In reply, not a single Delhi batter reached the 50-run mark. Rishabh Pant top-scored with 44, while Axar remained unbeaten on 42. Mitchell Marsh contributed 37 and Rovman Powell 35. However, the Capitals never got themselves into a position to push for a win, ultimately finishing at 189-7.
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“Middle order is still not scoring runs” - Virender Sehwag on DC’s batting problems
According to former Indian batter Virender Sehwag, Delhi’s big problem is that, apart from the openers, hardly any of the batters have scored runs consistently this season. He elaborated:
“Delhi's opening partnership has made a difference. The middle order is still not scoring runs, which is also a big question mark. They are also not getting wickets at key moments. That collective effort is missing I feel.”
Openers David Warner and Prithvi Shaw are Delhi’s leading run-getters in IPL 2022 so far. While Warner has hammered 264 runs from seven matches, Shaw has 259 runs from nine games.
