“He has played 100 games but has only scored over 1000 runs” - Aakash Chopra feels DC batter Mandeep Singh has not performed to potential in the IPL

Aakash Chopra reckons that Delhi Capitals (DC) batter Mandeep Singh has not lived up to expectations in the IPL. According to him, the 30-year-old needs to lift his game to keep his place in the IPL team.

In his IPL career, Mandeep has played 107 matches, scoring 1692 runs at an average of 21.69 and a strike rate of 123.77. In two matches for DC so far, he has registered scores of 0 and 18. The right-handed batter had earlier represented Punjab Kings (PBKS), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL.

Delhi opener David Warner is likely to be available for the franchise for Thursday’s clash against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said while previewing the match:

“If David Warner comes in, Tim Seifert will go out. That will be a like-for-like replacement. Mandeep Singh is batting at three, but he hasn’t done a lot. He has played over 100 games but has only scored over 1000 runs. He hasn’t lived up to the reputation. I think they should play Kona Bharat or Yash Dhull instead of him.”

Delhi have had a mixed start to IPL 2022. After coming from behind to defeat the Mumbai Indians (MI), they went down to the Gujarat Titans (GT) by 14 runs.

View the IPL 2022 orange cap here.

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“Bowling is a concern for DC” - Aakash Chopra

According to Chopra, while the batting is still looking reasonably strong, there are some issues in the bowling department. Pointing out to Shardul Thakur’s struggles, he said:

“Bowling is a concern for Delhi. Shardul Thakur has proved very expensive in the two games. He has gone for over 40 in both the matches so far. He scored runs in one of them but was out cheaply with the bat as well in the other. He is not picking up wickets as well.”

Thakur was picked up by Delhi at the auction for ₹10.75 crore. He registered figures of 0 for 47 against Mumbai and 0 for 42 against the Gujarat Titans (GT).

Among the other DC bowlers, left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman stood out with three for 23 against Gujarat, while Khaleel Ahmed also returned with figures of two for 34. The batters, though, failed to chase down 172.