Delhi Capitals lost the momentum, says Bangar

On Sunrisers being knocked-out of the play-off race, Bangar said it had been that kind of season for the team.

Hyderabad: Former India batting coach and JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar said that Delhi Capitals had lost the momentum and that when the openers don’t fire, it was always a danger sign for any T-20 team.

“When the top three perform, it eases pressure on the middle order and boosts the confidence in the dugout. But when you lose two or three wickets in the powerplay, you find yourself in complete disorder,” Bangar said.

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“ Losing half the side for under 60 was a tough position for DC.Credit, however, to the partnership between Ashutosh Sharma and Tristan Stubbs, they gave DC something to fight with, which could’ve ended up being a competitive total,” he said.

On Sunrisers being knocked-out of the play-off race, Bangar said it had been that kind of season for the team. “They started strong, scoring 280+ in their very first match, and perhaps believed that the same aggressive approach would carry them through. But that’s a high-risk strategy and doesn’t always work consistently,” he said.

“When your batters are in form, it looks great. But when they’re not, you see the other end of the spectrum — and that’s where SRH find themselves now. Still, this being the first year of a new cycle, they’ll likely rethink their strategy going forward,” Bangar said.

“It’s unfortunate for SRH fans, especially since Hyderabad has become such a vibrant venue. The fans have shown great support, and hopefully, they’ll have better memories in seasons to come,” he said.

Reflecting on Sunrisers captain and pacer Pat Cummins’ performance, Bangar said it worked out well for Cummins that Mohammed Shami opted out, which cleared the way for Cummins to take the new ball.

“Initially, he may have expected Shami to do most of the damage, which might have held him back a little. But today was his opportunity. He hit those hard lengths consistently, he wasn’t really trying to swing the ball and ended up taking three crucial wickets early in the innings,” he explained.

For his part, former India leg-spinner and another JioStar expert Piyush Chawla said it would be really tough for Delhi Capitals to make it to the play-offs.

“In their last six games, they’ve lost four. While the game wasn’t completely over for DC against SRH, it looked like it was heading SRH’s way based on the total they posted,” he said.

“The next three games are critical and they need to win at least two — ideally all three — and for that to happen, their experienced players must step up and deliver,” Chawla said.