IPL 2020: 'Fatigue may have crept in and the bowlers just lost it in the powerplay' - Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer

Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer has cited fatigue as one of the probable reasons behind his bowlers failing to deliver in the powerplay overs against the Mumbai Indians yesterday.

He made this observation in the post-match press conference after the first-time finalists came up short in their attempt to bag a maiden IPL trophy.

Shreyas Iyer highlighted that the loss of early wickets put the Delhi Capitals on the backfoot in the all-important final.

"When you enter the finals, it is very important that you get off to a good start. That's what we lacked in this game. Obviously there was the pressure of getting a good total in the powerplay and we had already lost three wickets."

He observed that the Delhi Capitals staged a comeback by reaching a decent score at the end of the powerplay overs.

"So it was important that we scored runs and also save wickets at the same time. I think we reached a decent total in the powerplay which was 41/3."

The Delhi Capitals captain lamented the fact that the team could not utilise the death overs after they set up the game with a nice partnership in the middle overs.

"After that we capitalised from there onwards and and got to a decent total until the 15th over. Then after that everything came down."

Talking about his partnership with Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer pointed out that the duo played according to the situation to get the Delhi Capitals right back in the match.

"We were just backing our abilities. We knew if our targeted bowler comes in, we have to go after him and also at the same time we needed to rotate strike as well. So it was really important that we get 8 to 10 runs in an over which really got us to a good total after the 15th over."

---

Shreyas Iyer on the Delhi Capitals' bowling effort

The Delhi Capitals could not get the early breakthroughs they were looking for [P/C: iplt20.com]

Shreyas Iyer pointed out that he opted to bat first as the Delhi Capitals bowlers had been outstanding while defending targets. He added that it was probably the strenuous season due to which they could not deliver the goods in the powerplay yesterday.

"Our bowlers have been our strength overall this season and it is just the fatigue that crept in maybe and the bowlers just lost it in the powerplay. I am personally not having any regrets in terms of my decision after winning the toss."

He lauded all the Delhi Capitals bowlers for their stupendous displays throughout IPL 2020 while particularly praising Kagiso Rabada for leading the attack admirably.

"Our bowlers have been outstanding throughout, Rabada winning the Purple Cap and setting a great example for all the bowlers in the team. He has been putting in gas throughout."

3⃣0⃣ wickets in #IPL2020 ✅Most wickets for DC in a season ✅A well deserved Purple cap ✅@KagisoRabada25 did what he does best, consistently, game after game 🙌💙#Dream11IPL #YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/SebcptvbhS

— Delhi Capitals (Tweeting from 🇦🇪) (@DelhiCapitals) November 11, 2020

The Delhi Capitals skipper also had a word of praise for Ravichandran Ashwin for delivering whatever the team demanded from him.

"Ashwin has got a great mind and he knows his strategies pretty well. He comes and he executes the way exactly the team wants him to."

Shreyas Iyer signed off by stating that he was elated with the Delhi Capitals' performance in IPL 2020, and hopes that they can come back even stronger in the next edition of the league.

"I am really happy with the overall performance in this league. There are definitely a lot of positives to take away and come back strong next season."

The runners-up finish in IPL 2020 has been the best result for the Delhi Capitals in the thirteen seasons of the league. They will be hoping that their young team will be able to carry on with this momentum and take the franchise to their maiden IPL title next year.

💙 A season to remember 💙Dilli, #WeRoarTogether in victory and in defeat. A big thank you to all you fans for your constant support and love 💫#YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/Dq4ubR2wbG

— Delhi Capitals (Tweeting from 🇦🇪) (@DelhiCapitals) November 10, 2020