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Michael Vaughan has slammed the Delhi Capitals (DC) team management for holding back Axar Patel in their run chase against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Saturday, April 29.
The former England captain pointed out that Axar, being a left-handed batter, should have been sent to bat when the Hyderabad spinners were operating. He noted that having Axar against two left-arm spinners and a leg spinner would have been the ideal matchup for Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Speaking to Cricbuzz after DC's nine-run loss to SRH, Vaughan explained:
"Axar Patel is a left-hander and there is a lack of left-handers in that middle order. You've got two left-arm spinners and a leg spinner, which would have been spinning in to the left-hander, and yet he comes out really when the game had already been lost. Tactically and strategically, I don't see Delhi operating cleverly this year. They are missing so many tricks."
Notably, Axar walked out to bat in the 16th over after Priyam Garg's wicket. The left-handed batter did chip in with a cameo, remaining unbeaten on 29 off 14 balls. However, it wasn't enough for DC, as they finished at 188/6 after 20 overs while chasing a 198-run target.
"Their poor performance in the finish last year has carried on into this year" - Michael Vaughan on DC's dismal IPL 2023 campaign
Michael Vaughan further stated that Delhi struggled to perform consistently in the second half of the previous edition of the IPL. He opined that they haven't recovered from the same.
The 48-year-old emphasized that the DC think tank must come up with better strategies in the future. He suggested that the unavailability of a few players isn't the reason behind the side's failures, as other teams have also faced similar issues.
Vaughan elaborated:
"Delhi's problem was how they finished last year as well. They were poor in the last seven games. It's not just this year, it's the end of last year. I think that is a concern for Delhi because their poor performance in the finish last year has carried on into this year.
"Ricky Ponting and David Warner would have expected so much more. There are one or two players missing, but most teams have one or two players missing and it's just the nature of the IPL. You can play badly and lose, that is not an issue. It is an issue when the strategy is not alright. I see that they get the matchups completely wrong."
With just two wins from their first eight matches, David Warner and Co. are currently languishing in the bottom position in the IPL 2023 points table.
