At a low ebb

For whatever reasons the name was changed from Delhi Daredevils to Delhi Capitals, the performance of the team in the Indian Premier League has been pathetic. In what is turning out to be an engrossing edition of the IPL in the summer of 2023, the Indian capital’s cricket franchise has looked just club class.

There have been ups and downs in this IPL, a bit like the weather in India, due to climate change. And in the race for the last four — Eliminator and Playoffs — one team which looks least likely to not make the cut is Delhi Capitals. By Wednesday night, they had lost their seventh match, with each loss bringing out more agony for Delhi fans. To go to Chennai and play rubbish cricket was poor viewing, even though it was low-scoring. This is where CSK captain MS Dhoni showed how shrewd he is.

At a time when many IPL teams have been hit by injuries, they have relied on their reserve strength to bolster the team. Everyone knew from December 2022, after Rishabh Pant’s unfortunate car accident, he would be out of action for at least eight or nine months. The designated Delhi Capitals captain is now posting his pictures where he no longer needs a “crutch” to walk. That’s a good sight.

However, if there is one player who will be most distraught after watching his team play such poor cricket, it has to be Pant. Pant has energy, enthusiasm and that presence of mind to play bold cricket and be daring. He has always been a daredevil and the world of cricket awaits his return to cricket, hopefully in the 2024 season.

The man who was handed the baton to lead the Delhi Capitals this season, David Warner, has been a disaster. This Aussie bloke is a seasoned pro. He has tons of experience, aggression and ability to adapt to all formats of cricket. When the Delhi Capitals think-tank appointed him as captain before the IPL, there was hope Warner would fire up the side.

It is well-known that team owners make smart picks at the IPL auction. The owners of the team are responsible for what kind of players they are buying. Some are VFM — value for money. Some are bought at crazy prices in the auction, like David Warner and Mitch Marsh, both Aussies. These days, the IPL is tracked even abroad by countries like England and Australia. Even the Aussie media, always biased, is worried about Warner’s lack of form. He looks like a fish out of water. After all, the Aussies are readying for the Ashes in England and Warner has been picked. That’s their worry, not the Delhi Capitals flop show.

There are any number of press conferences where David Warner has spoken this summer, before or after the match. The more you hear him the clearer it becomes he has no clue of what’s going on. He talks of the team losing early wickets, which means they are doomed in Power Play. He talks of how too many dot balls are a curse. For the record, around 50 dot balls against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday night were a suicide mission.

The main point is Warner has himself not been a force to reckon with. Just imagine, even after scoring half centuries in the IPL, Virat Kohli gets pilloried. Warner’s form has been fluctuating like a patient after a heart attack, where the ECG leads read on a paper thrown out by the machine reflects the damage. If Warner has scored in a few matches, his strike-rate has been poor. Too much was expected from Warner. At a time when people are chewing nails on which teams will make the cut, though Gujarat Titans are certain, Delhi Capitals seem out of the mix. It may need some miracle to see Delhi Capitals rise from the bottom of the ladder and make the grade. But then, this is the IPL, not some snake and ladder game like ludo!

Who should take the blame for this abysmal performance from Delhi Capitals in one more season where their owner Parth Jindal is also palpitating. He had put out some tweets which were caustic when Delhi Capitals started badly. Now, he has gone into silent mode. Fans will look at the two big men who are in charge of operations of Delhi Capitals, Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly.

Ponting was a cunning captain, the typical Aussie who would play tricks and get under your skin. His performance as a coach in this season is zero. He deserves all flak, maybe the boot, eventually. Imagine, an Aussie captain who led with great cunningness, produced amazing results, cannot guide an IPL team. It shows, coaching an IPL team is not just about having a great bio as a player and captain.

After all, when you look at Gujarat Titans, a team led by mature Hardik Pandya, the work done by coach Ashish Nehra has come in for great appreciation. Nehra has been a hands-on coach and prefers to be behind the curtains. Yet, he has brought out the best from the Gujarat team and meshed well with captain Pandya.

This is what Ponting has not done. He is unable to bring the best out of a captain who is also an Aussie. So, the kangaroo experiment has been a failure for Delhi Capitals. Next comes Sourav Ganguly, who holds an important position in Delhi Capitals. Like Ponting, Ganguly was also a shrewd captain. He brought the best out of his Team India players, which included converting Rahul Dravid into a wicket-keeper batsman. Ganguly was also the aggressive captain, famous for taking his shirt off in the Lord’s balcony.

What happened to Ganguly the mentor? It’s a mystery, really, unless he has decided to watch the fun as the team hurtles towards the worst crisis in 2023. There are questions being asked if Ganguly and Ponting meet eye to eye, do they discuss and plan. Do two of the best former captains from India and Australia not need to be pulled up for this crap performance from Delhi Capitals? Ganguly has been silent, mostly. The reasons for it, none knows.

Yet, Ganguly has been in the news, first after an image of him and Virat Kohli not even looking at each other went viral on social media. The latest image shows the two greeting each other, a sort of kiss and make up. Given the DNA of Kohli and the cunning of Ganguly, that may have been mere optics. It is well known that it was Ganguly who got Kohli booted out as Team India captain in at least one format in 2021.

Back to Delhi Daredevils, their fan base has eroded. In the good old days, when Sunrisers Hyderabad were known as Deccan Chargers, people made fun of the team. Delhi Capitals is today in that position. Memes, jokes and whatnot, Delhi Capitals are the butt of ridicule. Or, does it have to do with the initials DC!

There is one player in Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel, who could have made a difference. The spinner has shown great skills with his bat as well. Somehow, Axar has not been used in the batter role properly, and comes way down in the order. There were even suggestions in between, that Axar Patel be handed over the captaincy. It’s too late now, unless some miracles happen and Delhi does the unthinkable.

As the business end of the IPL is now in operation, one man who has looked as pale as David Warner is Mumbai Indian captain Rohit Sharma. The Mumbai team could still make it to the last four but the India captain in Tests and ODIs looks woefully out of form. He has been unable to score, taken breaks in between as well. When he has chosen to sit out as captain, the Impact Player role has also not suited him.

For Indian cricket fans, Rohit Sharma doing so badly is a serious concern. Playing club cricket, which the IPL is, does not compare with Tests and ODIs. He will lead Team India in the ICC Test Championship final in June against Australia. His lack of form is worrying. Purely on form, had Rohit not been captain, he should have been dropped. That is why when former India dashing batsman Kris Srikanth ripped Rohit Sharma on air, there was a flutter. He called Rohit as No Hit! It’s a term which has been used before as well.

Jokes apart, Rohit not looking fit and hungry is worrying, The Test team bound for the final against Australia is battling a major crisis. Player after player is now on the injured list, Replacements being picked are on the basis of IPL performances. All of a sudden, white ball masters are being picked for the red ball Test final. It reflects poorly not on the players but the Indian cricket board (BCCI) which still does not have a chairman heading the selection committee.

Selections seem so casual, for raking in more money is the BCCI’s mantra. The bigger challenge is the ICC World Cup in India in October/November. There is still time. It may not be a bad idea to check if Rohit really fits the bill as leader. Certainly, Hardik Pandya looks more in control on the field. Food for thought, BCCI?