IPL 2020: Key takeaways from DC's campaign
Delhi Capitals fell short in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 campaign. DC, who booked a maiden berth in the finale, were thrashed by Mumbai Indians. MI went on to lift their fifth IPL honor and a second in succession. DC, who promised aplenty at the start of the season, lost their way in the business end. Here are the takeaways.
DC's fourth successive loss to the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020 caught the eye. In all four games against MI, the Shreyas Iyer-led side failed to gain impetus. Earlier, MI had won both the matches during the league stage. They also dished out a complete show in IPL Qualifier 1, before dismantling DC once again in the summit clash. DC were short of ideas.
One of the major success stories for DC in IPL 2020 were the performances of pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. The South African duo claimed 52 wickets between them. This was the joint-highest tally by a pace-bowling duo alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. Notably, Rabada led the way with 30 scalps as he won the prestigious Purple Cap.
DC's batting lacked the punch in a desired manner this season. The top order, in particular, lacked any sort of consistency. However, Shikhar Dhawan, who blew hot and cold in IPL 2020, ended up with 618 runs (second-highest). He also scored two successive tons in between. Iyer, who amassed 500-plus runs, showed character both with the bat and as a captain.
DC were going strong at one stage but lost their shine after the first nine games in the league stage. They went on to lose four of the last five matches. Notably, all these losses were by big margins. This took the shine off and one could feel that in both Qualifier 1 and the final. Loss of form saw DC mellow down significantly.
Besides Rabada, Nortje and Marcus Stoinis, the support cast in the pace department disappointed. Not having an established Indian pacer hurt DC. DC, who had traded the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and R Ashwin, didn't get much from the two. Ashwin claimed just 13 scalps at an average of 30.07 and Rahane scored 113 runs at 14.12. Rishabh Pant too failed to get ticking.
