Need to improve Delhi team’s batting, opines Kuldeep Yadav

Delhi Capitals players celebrate their win against Sunrisers Hyderabad during the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match, in Hyderabad on April 24, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

Delhi Capitals chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav felt the need to improve his team’s batting even as the bowling unit had been doing a really good job this season. 

Speaking to media after Delhi Capitals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven runs in the IPL Hyderabad on April 24, Kuldeep said that even at the half-time, the team believed 100% that they had a chance to win the game. 

“As a bowling unit we did really well, bowled well in the powerplay. Me and Axar (Patel) just kept the team in the game and in the last four overs Nortje and Mukesh did their job,” he said. 

“Washington bowled really well, picking three wickets. So, it was important for the spinners to keep bowling good length. The planning by the captain (Warner) was superb,” Kuldeep said. 

On Mukesh Kumar bowling the crucial last over, he said he had been bowling well in what was his first IPL season and improving every day and bowling the last over was never easy. 

On Warner, Kuldeep said having played here for seven years (for SRH), he knew the conditions and that’s why he chose to bat first. 

“He felt it was difficult to chase. And, as a captain he kept believing in the bowling unit backing the bowlers with the right field placements too and that was important,” he said. 

“Well, when we meet Sunrisers again in Delhi in a couple of days, we hope to keep the momentum going with a two-in-two wins. We lost the first five games, we did well in bowling and fielding, we need to improve in batting and probably we will do that in the coming games,” Kuldeep said. 

Washington Sundar’s performance biggest positive from the game: Brian Lara

For his part, Sunrisers head coach Brian Lara felt there were no devils in the pitch and that they left everything too late. 

“The batter need to be more enterprising, take advantage of the powerlays,” he said.

Lara said, during the middle-overs, the bowlers tried to cramp you and we allowed that to happen, the equation became tough as Ishant, Nortje, Mukesh are professionals and bowled in the right areas. 

“Yes, in the first 15 overs we should have been in a much better position,” Lara said. 

“My players are not going out there to fail. Their priority is to cross the line. Yes, the bowlers did a great job to restrict Delhi to such a below par score on this wicket. We should have won the game,” he said. 

“Everyone now should know what the equation means, we have to regroup quickly to stay in the race,” the head coach said. 

On Mayank Agarwal, Lara said that the general feeling was while he was moving down the order, he was not successful. “He has years of experience in the IPL and we felt we needed someone to hold the innings together and also a left-hander like Abhishek Sharma at number 4 and he played a nick knock in Kolkata the other night,” he said. 

Lara said that Washington Sundar’s performance was the biggest positive from the game.

“We look at him as one of the key players to do well. The brighter side is to see him come into form. I am sure he is disappointed with the loss.” he said. 

Lara defended the batting lineup saying that it was pretty good with top-class batters from one to six.

“You should be cruising home. We don’t seem to be knitting together as a batting unit. Have to look at this. Our backs are against the wall, no doubt about that. We have to take the responsibility to keep moving forward, face the challenges and cross them,” Lara concluded.