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IPL 2023 DC vs MI match today, and David Warner's poor strike rate remains biggest concern for Delhi

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Mohammad Bilal
Mohammad BilalApr 11, 2023 | 13:47

IPL 2023 DC vs MI match today, and David Warner's poor strike rate remains biggest concern for Delhi

In the 16th fixture of IPL 2023, Delhi Capitals (DC) will square off against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Both MI and DC have had terrible outings so far, with neither team able to win any match. While MI lost their first two matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), DC have lost three matches against Lucknow Super Giants, Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals.

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Though Mumbai’s squad is filled with big names like Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Jofra Archer and Cameron Green, the team is struggling to make its way. However, MI have been perennial slow starters and we have seen earlier that the team bounces back after the initial few matches. 

Warning bells for Delhi Capitals

Concerns here are for Delhi Capitals, who do not have too many big names in its squad; only David Warner, Rilee Rossouw, Rovman Powell and Prithvi Shaw as key players.

Plus, Delhi's biggest buy, Shaw, has so far has been the biggest disappointment as the right-handed batter has scored only 19 runs in 3 matches so far. At Rs 8 crore, Shaw was the biggest draw of Delhi Capitals but so far, he has failed to strike with the bat.

But above everything else, it is Delhi Capitals skipper David Warner whose approach to the game this season is under severe criticism. Though, Warner has performed with the bat, somewhere down the line, critics have held him responsible for the three consecutive losses for the team so far.

Though Warner has scored two fifties in three matches so far, his slow game has become one of the reasons for his team's loss. Photo: PTI

Why is David Warner being criticised? 

The Australian right-handed batter was a big bet for Delhi Capitals at Rs 6.75 crore. But his game became a talking point in the last match against Rajasthan Royals.

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Chasing a mighty target of 192 runs, David Warner’s poor strike rate of nearly 110 invoked a lot of comments. While Warner scored 65 off 55 balls, with no six in his innings, the team finished at 142/9 in 20 overs, ending their miserable run-chase. It was one of the worst chases in the recent past as even former cricketers questioned Warner's strategy in his run chase.

Former cricketer Robin Uthappa had sharp words for David Warner from the commentary box during the game against Rajasthan Royals. While the team needed more than 50 runs in the last four overs, Warner was not even lofting the ball and was dealing in singles and doubles. 

He became a laughing stock when he was finally caught out at 18.6 overs on a ball by leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. The leg spinner had a big smile on his face while he sent a struggling Warner to the pavilion. Warner’s dismissal was a sigh of relief for Delhi more than Rajasthan Royals.

It wasn’t just against RR; Warner’s run-a-ball knock of 56 in 48 balls against Lucknow in the first match was also a big reason for the team’s loss. Chasing a target of 193, Delhi was bowled out at 143, while Warner’s knock of 56 proved useless to the team.

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The implication of such a slow batting from the skipper is that it puts pressure on the other batters who end up conceding their wickets in order to keep up with the run chase. Not only did Warner's game in three matches cost the team its morale, it also raised questions on his leadership.

The point here is, Warner’s lack of intent in approaching a big run chase is a big worry for Capitals. In the absence of Rishabh Pant, Warner was given the rope of captaincy, but if the losing streak continues for the next few matches, the management might think of getting someone else for the job.

Warner’s strike rate last year was around 150 but this year, since the beginning, his strike rate has been around 110, and his run-a-ball game is doing more damage to the team than benefiting it.

Who has the edge in tonight’s match?

On paper, Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians looks strong against DC. The only benefit DC might have in the game is that it will be playing on its home ground. 

Otherwise, Mumbai have power hitters in their batting line-up with the biggest surprise element of the team, Tilak Varma.The left-handed batter who made his debut only last year has been on a song as he smashed 84 off 46 balls in the very first match against RCB, though MI lost that match.

But the bowling department of Mumbai looks ordinary as it only has all-rounder Cameron Green and Jason Behrendorff as leading pacers. Their big draw, Jofra Archer, is currently not available due to an injury and Jasprit Bumrah is out of the season due to a back injury.

The absence of Bumrah and Jofra Archer has put the bowling unit of Mumbai Indians in a fix as the team doesn’t have enough experience in the bowling side.

In batting department, surely Mumbai has edge over Delhi Capitals but in the bowling department, Delhi has an edge as it has Mukesh Kumar, Anrich Nortje and Khaleel Ahmed, all in their forms.

Pitch report

The wicket of Arun Jaitley stadium used to be slow but it has now become a batting pitch. It would be difficult to stop runs for bowlers once runs start pouring in from the bat as the boundaries are short.

Moreover, in IPL 2023, four matches were held here; and three out of the four times, the chasing team won the match. The average score here is around 195 and it will primarily be a batter’s wicket.

Probable Playing XI

Delhi Capitals: David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Manish Pandey, Phil Salt, Rovman Powell, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Tristan Stubbs, Hrithik Shokee, Piyush Chawla, Arshad Khan, Kumar Kartikeya

Last updated: April 11, 2023 | 13:47
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