IPL 2023 emotional rollercoaster: Capitals continue to flounder, David Warner still struggling as RCB add to Delhi’s misery

Tushar Bhaduri

Shadow of the past

When can one officially call the demise of David Warner as a player at the very top level of the game? Watching him bat over the last few weeks must be painful for his fans, as the left-hander has struggled against both the red ball and white. He might still be among the top handful of run-getters in this edition of the IPL, but the impact he is supposed to have at the top of the order is lacking. Granted that frequent wickets at the other end have not helped his cause, but a great player is expected to rise above such obstacles. The struggles of the team may also have something to do with the captain’s own frustrations, which have come to the surface from time to time. On Saturday, it seemed, for a moment, that he may be able to lead the charge for his faltering team, when he hit a few vintage pulls, drives and flicks, before becoming pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak’s maiden IPL wicket.

Back to winning ways 🙌@RCBTweets register a 23-run win at home and clinch their second win of the season 👏👏

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/xb3InbFbrg #TATAIPL | #RCBvDC pic.twitter.com/5lE5gWQm8H

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 15, 2023

Tushar Bhaduri

Wrong call

It’s easy to be wise in hindsight but Anuj Rawat’s introduction as the Impact Substitute didn’t quite go to plan for RCB. The hosts were progressing smoothly at one stage before losing three wickets at the same score to be floundering at 132/6 in the 15th over. Worried that they might be bowled out inside the 20 overs for a woefully inadequate total at the batting-friendly venue, they went for the wicketkeeper-batsman who plays for Delhi in domestic cricket. A steady hand was needed, but they got a pedestrian one, with Rawat managing 15 off 22 balls with just one boundary, which almost brought the RCB innings to a grinding halt. The think tank would be regretting the move as they had capable batsmen in Wanindu Hasaranga and Wayne Parnell in the starting XI itself, who could play to the demands of the situation. RCB were now also bereft of a bowling substitute, with pacers Akash Deep and David Willey as well as leg-spinner Karn Sharma staying in the dugout.

Tushar Bhaduri

Kuldeep slams brakes on Maxwell, RCB

Glenn Maxwell was ticking along well and finding his range by moving around the crease and targeting the straight boundaries. The middle overs are when Maxwell usually gets going and he was looking threatening while unfurling sixes. But the RCB innings sputtered as they lost three wickets in three balls. DRS replays showed that Harshal Patel got a faint edge though there were spikes before and when the ball crossed the bat. But it was Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav who put the brakes on the RCB innings and got rid of Maxwell. The Australian fell while trying to tonk a full-length ball on leg stump but the ball ended up in David Warner’s hands at extra cover. The next ball Dinesh Karthik tried to clear mid-wicket with a flat batted shot but found the fielder. It was a period when RCB went 16 balls without a boundary and lost three wickets. Kuldeep once again was effective finishing with figures of 2 for 23 from his four overs.

Nihal Koshie

Delhi spinners control Powerplay

At the end of the Powerplay, Virat Kohli was on 21 off 16 balls and RCB had reached 47 for 1. His opening partner and captain Faf du Plessis had made 22 from 16 before being dismissed. Both the openers had shown the intent to get going — Kohli pummelling Anrich Nortje for consecutive fours through the offside and then du Plessis riding his fortune to find two fours against tricky fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman. But the Delhi Capitals spinners kept both the experienced batsmen in check. Tall left-arm spinner Axar Patel kept firing it with the angle to cramp the batsmen for space with just 5 runs coming off his first over and seven in his second. Off-spinner Lalit Yadav gave away just four runs off his first over, the last of the Powerplay. This was after du Plessis had smashed Mitchell Marsh for two consecutive fours. But another attempt, a very robotic stroke to clear midwicket was brilliantly caught by Aman Khan on the second attempt. A return of 14 dot balls, six fours and a six was not too bad for the Powerplay. But the Delhi spinners had kept the two RCB superstars in check.

Nihal Koshie