Delhi Capitals delivered yet another complete and dominating performance in IPL 2021 as they got the better of Punjab Kings for the second time this season on Sunday. Delhi Capitals was better in all departments against Punjab, which eventually lead to their sixth win in IPL 2021.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings suffered yet another setback in their bid to qualify for the knockout rounds. They are still in a shout despite an underwhelming first half of IPL 2021, but performances need to drastically improve to achieve the target. Here are key takeaways from yet another impressive victory from Delhi Capitals.
Punjab Needs to do well in powerplay overs
Punjab Kings has been struggling to get the ideal start with the bat. On Sunday, PBKS lost a quick couple of wickets which set the tone for poor powerplay and led to a cautious approach during the middle overs. While Mayank Aggarwal was the only one hitting at a respectable rate, other batsmen failed to come up with notable contributions. Punjab needs to start better to set a big target while batting first.
At the same time, the bowling unit gave away too many runs in the power play too. Managing the powerplay should be the first thing on the agenda for Punjab in the upcoming innings as it sets the tone of the innings.
Punjab should consider dropping Chris Gayle
In the whole series, Gayle has come up with a good score only once. Not only that he has been delivering poor performances throughout the last two seasons too. Gayle Storm only happens once in a blue moon and otherwise, he gets knocked cheaply. The Universe Boss has started to feel like an expensive bet to keep in the playing XI. With KL Rahul’s return is uncertain, the team needs him to either step up or sit him out and give opportunities to other teams.
Dhawan and Shaw are the best opening pair in IPL 2021
Healthy scores in powerplays have been the theme of Delhi’s batting in IPL 2021. Capitals managed to put up yet another big score in the first six overs on Sunday to make a tricky chase into a fairly straightforward one. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw once again reinstated the fact that they are the best opening pair in IPL 2021. Shaw raced away to 39 off 21 in the first six overs. Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan maintained a strike-rate healthy to stay in the middle until the end to make sure that Delhi gets over the line. Both players have made sure that Delhi is never under pressure while chasing.