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Delhi Capitals (DC) suffered another batting collapse at home. This time, they found themselves struggling at 69/5 after 11 overs against Chennai Super Kings, forcing the team management to send Sameer Rizvi as impact player. Rizvi did the rebuilding job well and DC managed to post a respectable total of 155/7 on a spin-friendly surface. However, it wasn’t enough to cause a panic among Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batters despite a slow start, especially their star opener Sanju Samson. CSK handed DC their fourth defeat at home. In the post-match presentation, DC head coach Hemang Badani admitted that the game was lost in the first 10 overs of their batting innings. He also rued the lack of consistency in the kind of surfaces provided at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, ruling out home advantage.
"We don't have any control over the surfaces. It is a lot easier for a side to field 20 overs and then understand what the surface would be when they bat second, and that is pretty much what happened. I thought the game was lost in the first 10 overs when we didn't get enough; we were about 70 [69] for 5, and you don't want to be 70 for 5 even if it is a tough surface. It has been a bit of an up-and-down curve for us to understand what we are going to get at Delhi, which is our home. One game was a 265, but there is little control that any side has on surfaces," Badani told the reporters after DC’s sixth loss of the season.
Perform or perish situation for Delhi Capitals
DC have two more home games left in the season. Their next match is against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 8. Their last home game is against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on May 17. Badani understands the need to win their remaining four games to have a chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
Currently, they find themselves at the seventh position on the points table. Not just four wins, DC would want to improve their net run rate (NRR) as well which is likely to be deciding factor for a last four spot.
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