Lucknow face Delhi test; Jadeja hands back CSK captaincy to Dhoni
LSG, meanwhile, are on course to sealing a playoffs berth, siting at number three on the points table with six wins from nine outings
Delhi Capitals would expect more from their baters ater an underwhelming display in their previous win, while Lucknow Super Giants must be eager to shrug off over dependence on skipper KL Rahul when the two teams clash in the IPL here on Sunday.
Delhihaveenduredatoughcoupleofweekswith a mini Covid outbreak in their camp and a no-ball controversy, however, Rishabh Pant and his troops came out from it to march to a four-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders. While the win boosted the Capitals’, who are sixth on the points table, playoff chances, the middle order collapse while chasing an easy total will be a cause of concern.
David Warner continued his sparkling form but his fellow opener Prithvi Shaw, who despite looking in good touch, hasn’t been able to convert his starts.
Thecapitalshavetriedvariousbatersatnumber three, including skipper Rishabh Pant, but are yet to find a suitable candidate for the job. Mitchell Marsh, who returned to the side ater finishing his quarantine, is expected to make it his own but the Australian all-rounder must shake off the rust.
Pant himself has failed to play the explosive innings he is known for. He will need to take greater responsibility along with the likes of all-rounders Lalit Yadav, Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel.
Pant’s captaincy also drew some flak as he chose not to give Kuldeep Yadav, who posted superb figures of 4/14 in three overs, a fourth over against KKR. Delhi would breathe a sigh of relief that their faith in the Rovman Powell as a finisher is finally paying off. Ater a string of low scores, the big-hiting West Indian almost pulled off a nearimpossible task against Rajasthan Royals before sealing the match against KKR.
Delhi’s bowling department, on the other hand, hasdonewell.thebowlers,aterleakingrunsagainst the Royals, came back strongly to lay the foundation for a comfortable win. Kuldeep is enjoying his best IPL season, producing match-winning spells. The let-arm spinner has two four-wicket haul this edition, taking his tally to 17 wickets. Khaleel Ahmed has been bowling economically, snapping 11 wickets in six games at the economy of 7.91. He has been complemented well by Mustafizur Rahman, while spinners Axar and Lalit have also played their parts.
LSG, meanwhile, are on course to sealing a playoffs berth, siting at number three on the points table with six wins from nine outings.
However, LSG will hope they can breakaway from the overdependence on captain Rahul, who has been in sublime form. Rahul has two centuries and a fity under his belt this season and his innings have been the bedrock of LSG’S wins.
Meanwhile, ater leading the Chennai Super Kings in the eight games of the ongoing IPL 2022, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has decided to relinquish captaincy and hand it back to MS Dhoni, the franchise announced on Saturday.
Dhoni, who had led the CSK since 2008, had given Jadeja the leadership role ahead of the ongoing season. However, an official statement from the defending champions stated that Jadeja has requested Dhoni to take over again so that the all-rounder could concentrate on his game.
“Ravindra Jadeja has decided to relinquish captaincy to focus and concentrate more on his game and has requested MS Dhoni to lead CSK,” the franchise said in a statement.
“MS Dhoni has accepted to lead CSK in the larger interest and to allow Jadeja to focus on his game,” it added.
Four-time champions CSK have made a poor start to the season under Jadeja, winning just two of their eight games so far and are on the brink of missing out on a playoff spot. Jadeja, too, has struggled to perform with both bat and ball, scoring just 112 runs at an average of 22.40 and also picking just five wickets in eight games and conceding runs at 8.19 an over in the IPL 2022.
Pace sensation Umran Malik’s performance will befollowedagainkeenlywhensunrisershyderabad take on struggling Chennai Super Kings in an IPL match on Sunday.
Malik has been the find of the season as he outsmarted the top baters of the world with his brutal pace. His 5/25 run spell against Gujarat Titans, albeit in a losing cause, can be regarded as one of the best bowling displays in the IPL history, because of his sheer pace and tenacity.