IPL 2024: DC bowling coach James Hopes reveals reason behind Rishabh Pant's decision to bat first against KKR, says 'didn't understand'

The Delhi Capitals (DC) suffered their sixth loss of the season against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 29. This defeat complicates their path to the playoffs. DC, batting first, managed to post only 153 runs in 20 overs. In reply, KKR effortlessly chased down the target in just 16.3 overs, securing the victory by seven wickets.

DC's bowling coach James Hopes provided insights into the reasons behind the loss and the decision to bat first at Eden Gardens, a pitch favorable to spinners. Winning their last two matches while batting first, DC chose to employ the same strategy in this game, but the outcome was less favorable.

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“The thought process behind it was, we were having some success while trying to put big scores on the board and trying to defend it... I think we knew that there was not going to be much dew, which there wasn't, there was barely any dew, Hopes said in the post-match press conference.

Hopes admit to making error in judgement

Hopes admitted that they had misjudged the pitch conditions, which were advantageous for spinners, leading to regular loss of wickets. KKR spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy effectively utilised the conditions; Chakravarthy notably took three wickets while conceding only 16 runs.

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"We might have stayed a little bit too high and didn't understand quick enough that, yes, the wicket was sticking for the spinners. They (KKR) had pretty good spinners and maybe the 210 score was more realistic and more defendable. We lost some wickets a bit too down the lower order," said Hope.

The DC bowling coach also reflected on the total posted by his team, noting that a score above 200 would have been ideal given KKR’s strong batting lineup. Unfortunately, DC lost three crucial wickets during the powerplay, and their highest scorer was Kuldeep Yadav, who managed 35 runs off 26 balls.

“We knew when we were going to be batting that we have to get a score too in the front of it. Maybe after our powerplay, which was still thought 200 was possible after the powerplay. We were 68/3 after the powerplay," the DC bowling coach added.

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