IPL 2022: From COVID-19 scare to thumping win, how Delhi Capitals showed their mettle

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Capitals winning against all the odds and Punjab going down hill after promising start analysed  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV  #UAEnews #cricket #IPL2022

Transcript

00:00It seems Punjab did not turn up and Delhi just walked over them.

00:12Hello, everyone. Welcome to Straight Back with Gulf News and Mr Cricket UAE. That is Anish Sajan.

00:17We are here to discuss today's IPL match which is a completely one-sided match with Delhi

00:22Capitals won against the Punjab Kings. To learn more about that, let's head over to Anish Sajan.

00:30Thank you, Shyam. Hi, Satish. Hi, Anmol. And hello to all the lovely people of Gulf News.

00:34Well, I think the first match which I would say totally one-sided. There have been 32 games.

00:40There have been a few games which have been very close. Some games have been not so close,

00:46but this one was like a total dampener. It seemed Punjab did not turn up and Delhi just walked

00:52over them. We have with us a Punjab Kings supporter that is Anmol Verma. I think I was

00:59telling him off camera that it was the wrong way to come on the show. But Anmol, don't worry

01:05about that. Tell us what went wrong with Punjab Kings today. Yes, I was very disappointed today

01:14after the performance of the team. None of them really came up except Jitesh Sharma.

01:22Intent was not there with the players. I've seen no intent. Livingstone was not performing.

01:31Biestro is not performing. And we have informed Rajapaksha and he's been bombing bench because

01:40of no reason. I have sorry no words to say after this match. Net run rate is in minus. Everything

01:50is in minus for Punjab Kings. Yeah, you would make a good point about Rajapaksha, but we'll

01:57discuss that later on the show because he's been a name which has been figuring in our

02:02discussions far too often. Satish, Punjab Kings, they say they just keep on blazing away in all

02:12the matches irrespective of the situation. Each batsman comes in and just attacks. That is their

02:18mantra. If you remember last year, Kolkata Knight Riders and this is a philosophy spread by the

02:26Kolkata Knight Riders coach Brendan McCullum. And it looks like Punjab seems to have adopted.

02:31Was this downfall any way linked to that? Chum, T20 is played the same way. Of course,

02:39it's evolving. Maybe the openers go first straight all out and start hitting the balls straight away.

02:47But what is happening is with the Punjab, the openers are not informed. They are not getting

02:51runs. And they are not getting runs consistently. That's the key. If you look at what Rabada has

02:57literally cried yesterday in one of the interviews, he said, the batters are not consistent.

03:05Inconsistent performance. How are the bowlers going to bowl? So, that is a big, big issue.

03:12You might score runs in one game. But again, I think what has happened is more than anything,

03:17the roles are not defined. If you want to attack, that's fine. But if the plan A works,

03:24go with it. If the plan A doesn't work, say the opener gets out, there is always a plan B,

03:30you have to the next number three. Bairstow is a very good batsman who can play all 20 overs.

03:36But I think the roles are not defined. That I think is the downfall than

03:41going for an attack. Because T20 is played that way. That's fine. But still, you don't really

03:48go at one pace and get yourself knocked out at some point in time.

03:55And it's 54-4-4-4. Normally, you would expect a partnership there. That didn't happen. Although

04:03Ditesh Sharma tried. Do you think part of the reason is anything to do with the

04:09team selection? Here, I would bring back the name of Raja Paksha.

04:13Well, like Anmol mentioned, all I am actually baffled myself why Raja Paksha was dropped. He

04:19was going well. It is very easy to point fingers because Bairstow has not been scoring runs. So,

04:25Bairstow was the replacement for Raja Paksha. Had Raja Paksha, Bairstow scored runs,

04:30we probably wouldn't have been talking about it. But this guy was giving them that blazing start.

04:34But just to add on to the point of Satish, where he said that after plan A, there is no plan B.

04:40Well, out of the seven games, they have scored in three games big runs. In four games,

04:46they have succumbed to nothing. Like against KKR, they scored 150. Today was a game to forget.

04:51Then there was one more game against Sunriser Hyderabad, where they managed just 150 after

04:56being 135 in 15 overs. So, there is no planning. And I am afraid it is all got to do with the

05:02think tank which is sitting in the dugout, which is Mr. Anil Kumle. I have always said that he

05:08doesn't wear the thinking cap of a coach. He is more of a headmaster type of a coach. And I would

05:13blame him flatly on this show. Pretty much, it is the same show from Punjab Kings pretty much

05:22every year, isn't it? As a Punjab fan and more, you must be disappointed with the Punjab performance

05:29every year. Because they go into a slump, they come back, again, they go into a slump.

05:33And this year is no different, despite having a decent team. How do you see that?

05:39Yeah, yeah. It has been 14 years. I have been supporting this team. Year after year,

05:45they came down. But my support for the team has never been gone from my heart.

05:54This team has meant everything to me. This team has given me ups. This team has given me downs also.

06:01But I will always support this team. Nevertheless, what's the point of the team?

06:06Where is the up?

06:07No, no. There is the up. Three games, sir.

06:11That's what Anish was saying. They win three games and they go and lose another five games.

06:18So yeah, that's a problem with the players. Because some will perform in the one or two

06:26matches and another, they will not perform in the next five matches. The bowlers are

06:33doing much better. But if the batters are not giving them the must target to defend,

06:37they are nothing.

06:40Anyway, hats off to you for continuing to support them. Because over the years,

06:45I have not seen Punjab coming anywhere close to even making the last four, isn't it? So

06:52I really appreciate your support there. Satheesh, again, a tactical question for you.

07:00Prithvi Shaw and David Wannaway, Blazing Airway,

07:09there was no sign of spin until quite late. Only after it came in the eighth over, actually.

07:17Given that the Punjab spinners were holding sway,

07:21wouldn't you think that it was too late in the match to introduce them?

07:25Nisham, I think the first six overs of powerplay, I think that has set that tone. So after that,

07:32whether you… Because what has happened with the field restrictions, they know that Prithvi

07:35Shaw and Wannaway, they play the spinners well. So I think what I'm just saying, about six overs,

07:42they were about 75-80 runs. So that itself is like… It was a very difficult call because

07:49they don't have the runs. Whether you bring the spinners or whether… I think they have

07:53given up the match even before they started. I think that's the easiest way to put it.

07:59We have with us Delhi Capitals fan here. That is Yadav Talreja, if I'm right, right?

08:05Yadav, you are late into the show, but we will grant it to you,

08:09because Delhi Capitals fan. See, given the COVID worries they have, two of their players

08:15have been tested positive and four of their support staff, which means they are not in a good space.

08:21Despite, given that they have put up a good show, how do you see the match win today?

08:26I mean, it was a morale-boosting win for them. You are coming back after such a hard decision.

08:32They are certainly not in a good space. Going back into the quarantine, two of your major players

08:38back in COVID positive, Mitchell Marsh and Tim Seifert, I mean, that's a huge, huge loss. But

08:43coming after this win, this win will just boost them on to certain heights and clouds. They would

08:47be actually on cloud nine. I mean, this was just as critical victory as it could have ever got.

08:53I feel that, you know, they could have got all the games. I mean, we have lost three games,

08:57but out of those three, we had the potential to win all the two games, rather three games,

09:02to be honest. So this side has the capability, but it's more often how complete team performance

09:08we can build in with partnerships at the right time and taking all the boxes. So this was,

09:14I mean, you know, you can talk about this win, but this is a very long tournament. There are

09:19very long tournament. There are 10 teams. It's going to be a neck to neck competition. So

09:23we just need to continue this momentum because DC has won two dominant games, but it's about

09:31how many games you can win on a draw because you need points as well as run rate is very decent at

09:35the moment. The run rate is best among all the 10 teams, to be honest, and it's just about continuing

09:41the momentum. The next game is against the Rajasthan Royals who are coming after a predominant

09:46win. They have orange cap as well as copper cap in the same 11. So it's going to be a mouth-watering

09:51contest. Aniz, where do you see the Delhi Capitals going from here? This is certainly

09:57such an overwhelming win. It must be a huge flip for them. And more that is to Aniz.

10:08You know, Shyam, I remember mentioning about Delhi Capitals looking a very strong side and I have

10:15said them they might be the front runners to make it too. But after the performances,

10:20what they showed up with a very strong team in the last game, I felt that they probably

10:24are losing their shape. But today's win, after what happened into the camp about the COVID,

10:29was like a perfect vaccination or a relief for them to win and win big. And mind you,

10:35with this win, their net run rate has jumped to 0.94 plus from 0.019 or whatever they were.

10:42So, this will not only definitely help them get that points, but this net run rate if they have

10:50to clash with some other team going forward, because now they also have remaining nine games

10:55to go. So, they have a lot of chance to make it, rather eight games to go. Six they have played.

11:01So, I believe they are the front runners to make it to the playoffs. But this IPL, as I said,

11:06is very tight. Every day we see a different result. Today, one team wins. Tomorrow,

11:10the other team goes. The same team goes down. Difficult to judge, but I will still back Delhi.

11:17Anmol, what do you think of Punjab's prospect? I know this has been a bad

11:21defeat, but they still can come back. Do you believe in that?

11:25Yeah, I definitely believe in that. Last year, we also made a comeback. Last to last year,

11:30we lost six games in a row. And after that, we made a comeback and winning the five games in a row.

11:38Rather, this time also, as Yathar said, it will be a neck-to-neck competition. I also believe that

11:44Punjab needs to win their next five games in a row with seven left, I think so.

11:51Anmol, sorry to interrupt. Whom do you think will score?

11:57Obviously, Liam Livingstone will score. Shikhar Dhawan will score.

11:59One person cannot score the entire run.

12:01No, no. I am not saying that one person will score the entire run, sir.

12:05Shikhar Dhawan had to step up. If I am not sure that Biasto will come or Raj Baksha,

12:11I am not sure about this thing. But Shikhar Dhawan has to score and Mayank Agarwal has to take the

12:19charge of taking the team up front. Yathar, coming to Delhi,

12:26how do you see their prospect in the coming matches?

12:29I mean, you have got a lot of boxes to be ticked. I mean, to be honest, you are playing

12:35with just three foreigners. That is a big boost that we are concentrating more on Indian players

12:39and they are giving us a result. Rajasthan Royals, they have got plenty of options. Trent Bolt is

12:45going to be one of the major threats. That battle between Trent Bolt and Prithvi Shaw is going to be

12:50something that Prithvi Shaw needs to tackle and also the ball going away from David Warner.

12:55If we tackle Trent Bolt perfectly, then I feel that 25% of the job is done and beware of Josh

13:01Butler. If Josh Butler gets going, it is going to be really, really hard. So, bring Khalid and

13:06Mustafa Fejo right up, you know, while leaving. Josh Butler does shapes him up in the early six

13:11overs. If we get him there, then the game is almost reset because Rajasthan Royals look a

13:16very powerful team on paper. But if you look them at detail, they do not have a finisher.

13:21If you start four wickets up front, they would be really, very tacky. If you get Hitman,

13:26you get Samson, you get Josh Butler, you have got their nerves right. You will get your tails right

13:31up there and if we can get them there because batting has been one of the major strengths.

13:35But if we keep our balling on the point just we had today because 185 was a fast score today and

13:42we restricted them to 115. So, if the balling is, you know, certainly of this level or maybe 25%

13:48of this level, then certainly the game would be in the hands of the capitals again.

13:54Satish, I just want to speak about one person today and I want your opinion on that. That is

14:00the Delhi left arm seamer Khalil Ahmed. I know you have supported him in one of the previous shows

14:06and if you look at Khalil has been when he was with Sunrisers Hyderabad, he was pretty expensive.

14:13He was getting wickets but he was very, very expensive. But you know, moving over to Delhi,

14:18he has been a completely different bowler. What do you think is the reason for the transformation?

14:26Shyam, Khalil was here when India won the Asia Cup. He was one of the main bowlers. He played

14:31in the UAE. I have seen a couple of matches of him. He is a pretty intelligent bowler even then.

14:36Probably what has also happened is, two things. One, as you age, you also become more mature and

14:43you know how to handle things and you get more experience. That could be one. And I think in

14:48between, he was hampered with a lot of injuries. I would think so. So now maybe he is fully fit.

14:55The mental block is not there because once you have an injury at the back of your head,

15:00you will be more worried about not doing certain things right. You will be

15:04doing certain things half measures. So now with no injuries, I think that should have eased his

15:10brain to perform to the fullest extent. And he has always been a good performer and he is a very

15:18wily bowler. As a fast bowler, he has all the variations. And I think probably that's the

15:23reason, Shyam. He has become mature as well as he is injury-free at this point in time.

15:29And he also gives 100% every single time.

15:32Of course.

15:34Before we wind up, Anish, let us know about the competition.

15:38Yeah, Shyam, you got to predict the winner. Every day we have a contest where predicting

15:43the winner is tough. But if you are a cricket buff, log on to your favorite page, Gulf News,

15:47predict the winner. And you walk away with a beautiful apparel kit, as you can see with

15:52Anmol is wearing. Here you get a t-shirt, a track as well as a cap and a Gulf News one-year

15:58subscription.

16:00Yes, predicting has been difficult. But I think today they would have got it right.

16:04Most people would have got it right today.

16:06Yeah.

16:07But tomorrow is a tricky match. Actually, two of the heavyweights, two teams which have

16:12something like nine of the 14 titles between them are facing each other. Mumbai Indians

16:18take on Chennai Super Kings. So who will win? Anmol, you go first.

16:25I think that Mumbai should open their charts and they should get the two points.

16:31Why do you think that? Because they lost all the six matches. So what makes you think

16:36they will win?

16:38Yeah, I would say that Pollard is not in the form. It would take one momentum.

16:43Nobody is in form there, right?

16:44Yeah, nobody is except Deval Braves. He's brilliantly performing from Mumbai, but he's

16:51not getting the support from all of them. Bowling is pathetic from the Mumbai Indians

16:58because of their option strategy. I would completely say on this show that Mumbai's

17:04option strategy was pathetic this time. I can't expect this from their management.

17:11But after that, I believe from my heart that Mumbai will win this.

17:17Okay, Yathar, do you agree with Anmol?

17:22I would have loved to, but I am afraid I'm not. Because Chennai Super Kings, if you look

17:26at the season, Chennai and Mumbai have been on the bottom of the point table for quite

17:30some time. But Mumbai got it wrong on the option table. And on the other hand, you've

17:34got a team like Chennai Super Kings. They've got a very decent squad, but it's just that

17:38they're not clicking at the right time. All the matches that Chennai have lost, it's not

17:42that they've lost it on a completely one-sided game. I mean, they were in the competition

17:46till the very last overall. They had quite some phases when they were in the complete

17:51momentum of the game, but it was at some tricky situation where they missed it out.

17:55On the other hand, you've got Mumbai Indians, who have got a lot of holes in between. They

17:59don't have a fast bowler. You don't have a reliable spinner. You can't rely upon

18:02Mogan Ashton. Can't do so. I mean, they lost it at the auction table, but Chennai Super

18:08Kings, they definitely have a decent squad. It's just that Jadeja is new to the captain

18:13role. So maybe he's taking some time to settle in. Probably there is some news that

18:18Arjun Tendulkar might get his debut cap for Mumbai Indians. So it's good to see that,

18:23when Mumbai knows that the season is done and dusted, they are trying and giving opportunities

18:28to youngsters. But I feel that Chennai Super Kings is a better side than Mumbai.

18:32So I'm backing the Chennai Super Kings.

18:35I completely agree with you. Your argument is very, very sound there.

18:39But I don't know. Do I have to ask Satish who will win tomorrow?

18:44Shyam. Yes, you don't have to actually. I'm a Chennai fan and I always support them.

18:52But as Yatharth said, they have not lost a single-sided match. They have been there

18:59till the end, number one. And number two, even the last two games, probably one error

19:07here and the final over, maybe that would have cost them. But I think, by and large,

19:11the previous game, they beat the Royal Challengers, Bangalore, quite handsomely.

19:15So I think their confidence is back and almost all the players are set there.

19:21Maybe, you know, like, of course, with Rithiraj coming good as well. So it's all falling into

19:26place. So that way, Mumbai is still not having a winning combination at this point in time.

19:32And that's the difference I'm trying to make it here.

19:36Yeah, things are falling into place for Chennai. But it's coming a little too late.

19:40But Aniz, I know you are a huge Mumbai fan. So are you going to pick Mumbai tomorrow?

19:46Six out of six, I've got it wrong, Shyam, in a row. So I am going to close my eyes.

19:50I am there with you.

19:52I'm going to close my eyes and probably go with Chennai.

19:55Just because they are the better team.

19:57Thank you, Aniz Bhai.

19:59I have nothing to say. As you know, Mr. Cricket UAE, I feel that I am getting a lot of flak

20:04for my comments, for supporting a team and then a team going down.

20:08Welcome, Aniz Bhai.

20:15Aniz Bhai, like we've been saying, this year's contest has been completely baffled us in the

20:23sense like you could never pick a winner even in a single match for that matter. And to win

20:30the tournament, we've been picking teams every two matches or every three matches later. But

20:36even that is going wrong. So like I said, we can keep predicting that nobody can

20:43dispate from that. But as far as tomorrow's match is concerned, I will go with Yathab's

20:49argument that what he said is spot on. So my pick would be Chennai as well.

20:55So thank you guys for being on the show. Thank you for tuning in. For the latest updates and

21:01more developments, please log on to cultures.com and all our social media channels.

21:05See you tomorrow. Good night.

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