"A little more intent is expected from David Warner" - Aakash Chopra on Delhi Capitals' concerns heading into IPL 2023 clash against Mumbai Indians

Aakash Chopra feels David Warner's lack of intent with the willow is one of the Delhi Capitals' (DC) concerns heading into their IPL 2023 clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI).

The two sides will face off at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday, April 11. Warner, with 158 runs to his name, is the only DC batter to have aggregated more than 60 runs thus far but has done so at a below-par strike rate of 117.03.

While previewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that David Warner needs to bat with a little more freedom for the Delhi Capitals, saying:

"Mitchell Marsh has posted that he had a lovely weekend, where he got married. So he won't be available now also. A little more intent is expected from David Warner. We and the fans are expecting that and it seems the owners are also expecting that."

The former Indian opener highlighted Prithvi Shaw's travails against left-arm seamers, with the Mumbai Indians having the likes of Jason Behrendoff and Arshad Khan in their lineup, observing:

"Prithvi Shaw struggles a lot against the left-armers. There will be left-armers here as well. Let's see, he should score runs but will he do that? I don't know. After that, Rilee Rossouw - score runs some time at least, and Rovman Powell."

Chopra added that the Delhi Capitals are overly dependent on their overseas batters, who have been found wanting thus far, elaborating:

"The rest of the batting - Abhishek Porel, Sarfaraz Khan (if he plays) or Lalit Yadav - that much depth is not there. Their batting is their issue. Their batting is only the overseas batters, two of whom don't have form - we haven't seen runs from Rossouw and Rovman Powell, and Warner is scoring runs but hasn't hit a six in 135 balls."

While Rilee Rossouw has scored only 44 runs in his three innings, Rovman Powell has managed just three runs in his two outings. Shaw, the most renowned Indian batter in the Delhi Capitals' lineup, has aggregated a paltry 19 runs in his three knocks.

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"The bowling is alright" - Aakash Chopra on the Delhi Capitals' bowling

Khaleel Ahmed is the Delhi Capitals' most successful bowler thus far. [P/C: iplt20.com]

However, Aakash Chopra feels the Delhi Capitals' bowling strength could help them beat the Mumbai Indians, stating:

"The bowling is alright. There you will see Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav. I tend to tilt towards the side that has the better bowling, and that is why I am saying that Delhi can win this game."

The Capitals could miss Khaleel Ahmed's services against the Mumbai Indians as he suffered a hamstring injury in their last game against the Rajasthan Royals. Chetan Sakariya could be a like-for-like replacement for the left-arm seamer in the home team's bowling lineup for Tuesday's game.