Delhi Capitals Aim for Comeback in IPL After Consecutive Losses

Delhi Capitals Seek to Reclaim Top Position

New Delhi [India] - April 30: All-rounder Vipraj Nigam expressed confidence that the Delhi Capitals will strive to recover and secure a place among the top two teams in the standings after suffering two consecutive defeats at home in the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Initially, Delhi's promising campaign saw them at the top of the leaderboard, but they are now facing a harsh reality following their second home loss. The Kolkata Knight Riders delivered a remarkable performance, defeating DC by 14 runs and keeping their playoff hopes alive.

During the chase, DC appeared to be in control with Faf du Plessis and captain Axar Patel effectively managing the innings. Their partnership of 76 runs put Delhi in a strong position, but the momentum shifted dramatically when Axar fell to the skilled Sunil Narine.

Axar attempted to clear the ball over extra-cover, but it hit the upper part of the bat, leading to Harshit Rana taking a clean catch, sending Axar back to the pavilion with a score of 43 off 23 balls. Tristan Stubbs was dismissed shortly after, and Faf's attempt to connect with the ball ended with Rinku Singh catching it.

DC's middle order collapsed within three overs, with Narine claiming three crucial wickets. While some questioned DC's aggressive strategy against Kolkata's formidable spinners, Vipraj clarified that their plan was always to attack. He believed that had the established batters maintained their wickets, the match could have turned in Delhi's favor.

“We aimed to target their key spinners, which we did in the initial overs. However, poor shot selection led to the loss of our set batters. It’s challenging to go for big shots on such a pitch against their bowling attack. If our set batters had stayed longer, we could have won,” he stated during the post-match press conference.

Despite the setback, Delhi remains in fourth place, although the gap with teams outside the top four has narrowed significantly. Nevertheless, Vipraj is determined to lead the team in a comeback effort to finish in the upper half of the standings.

“We are still in the top four, and with five games remaining, we will aim to bounce back and secure a top-two finish,” he concluded.