"Delhi might have to change their coaching staff and captain in the coming year" - Aakash Chopra on Delhi Capitals' indifferent IPL 2023 campaign

Aakash Chopra believes the Delhi Capitals (DC) might have a new coaching staff and captain for the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Capitals suffered a 27-run defeat in their IPL 2023 clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Chennai on Wednesday, May 10. The loss left them consigned to the last position in the points table and virtually ruled them out of contention for a playoff berth.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that the Delhi Capitals could see a change in their leadership group next year, stating:

"Delhi - I feel the season is over now because you will be able to reach 14 points and your net run rate is very ordinary in any case. It is probably the time for churning there. Delhi might have to change their coaching staff and captain in the coming year."

The former Indian opener added that he will be astonished if the management does not take that call, reasoning:

"If they don't do that, I will be extremely surprised. This is just my personal opinion. Nothing against anyone to be very honest, but this year's strategies have been slightly beyond my understanding."

Rishabh Pant will likely return as the Delhi Capitals' skipper next year, subject to him being fit and available. However, it will be interesting to see if Ricky Ponting is retained as the head coach if they fail to qualify for the playoffs.

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"You don't use Axar Patel properly" - Aakash Chopra on the Delhi Capitals' player mismanagement

Axar Patel has been consistently held back in the batting order. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Delhi Capitals have failed to use their resources effectively, explaining:

"When Delhi look back and see, they should definitely ask the question that what their players did was on one side, but what is your think tank doing? You don't use Axar Patel properly. You played Sarfaraz Khan, then dropped him and after that, he was in and out."

The reputed commentator highlighted that some of the think tank's decisions have left everyone perplexed, elaborating:

"You played Priyam Garg an odd match. Aman Khan plays well and you dropped him down the order. You played Lalit Yadav but you kept him down the order and sent Ripal Patel ahead of them. What are you doing? Sometimes it just defies logic."

Ripal Patel was sent to bat ahead of the in-form Axar Patel and Aman Hakim Khan in Wednesday's game against CSK. Ripal's 16-ball 10 put the team further behind the eight ball as they already required 12 runs per over when he came to the middle.