"You played a bowler for the 19th over" - Aakash Chopra on Delhi Capitals' tactical mistakes in IPL 2023 loss to Punjab Kings

Aakash Chopra has questioned the Delhi Capitals' (DC) tactics in their IPL 2023 loss to the Punjab Kings (PBKS).

PBKS set DC a 168-run target after being asked to bat first at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday, May 13. Their bowlers then restricted the home team to 136/8 to complete a comprehensive 31-run win and keep alive their side's hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.

While reviewing the game on the "AakashVani" show on JioCinema, Chopra questioned David Warner for not using Mukesh Kumar effectively as a bowler, explaining:

"What do Delhi do? They are a very interesting side. Mukesh Kumar, who was playing as a bowler in this game, bowled only one over and that was the 19th over. You played a bowler for the 19th over. They have done many such interesting things in the entire season. He even dismissed Prabhsimran Singh in that over."

The former Indian opener feels the Delhi Capitals' think-tank also erred in opting to bowl first, reasoning:

"They decided to bowl after winning the toss on a pitch where there was a lot of turn, but it did not matter to them. When you have such a big think-tank, they have one job - to play the right XI and to read the pitch properly. If you fail in both these things, the think-tank is of no use and I feel Delhi will make changes."

The Capitals got off to a great start in their run chase as they were 69 for no loss after 6.1 overs. However, their decision to field first came back to haunt them as Harpreet Brar (4/30) and Rahul Chahar (2/16) then ran through their batting lineup and knocked them out of the tournament.

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"The thing I liked was his back-foot play" - Aakash Chopra lauds Prabhsimran Singh's century for the Punjab Kings

Prabhsimran Singh was almost like a lone warrior for the Punjab Kings. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Reflecting on the Punjab Kings' innings, Aakash Chopra praised Prabhsimran Singh for scoring his maiden IPL century, saying:

"It has happened for the first time in this tournament's history that two uncapped Indians have struck centuries in the same edition - Yashavi Jaiswal struck one and now Prabhsimran Singh. The way Prabhsimran Singh played, the thing I liked was his back-foot play."

The reputed commentator appreciated the Punjab Kings opener for formulating an effective plan against the spinners and attacking the pacers, Mitchell Marsh in particular, elaborating:

"He realized that it would be better to play Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Praveen Dubey off the back foot on this pitch because he wouldn't be able to manage the turn if he went forward. Then the maturity with which he hit the fast bowlers. He took Mitchell Marsh on remand."

Chopra concluded by pointing out that Prabhsimran's knock was in sharp contrast to the other Punjab Kings batters. While the youngster smashed 103 runs off 65 balls, the other batters scored 51 runs off 55 deliveries, with Sam Curran's 20 being the second-highest score.