What Experts said as Capitals reach their first ever final in league’s history

The saying catches win matches was exemplified in the Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League 2020 between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals as SRH dropped way too many in the field to grant Delhi Capitals a place in the finals by 17 runs in Abu Dhabi. 

This would be the first that a Delhi-based franchise will play the final in the cash-rich league. Prior to this season, Delhi made it to the Playoffs thrice, but could never reach the finale.

Captains’ Viewpoints

Shreyas Iyer, the winning captain was excited with the win and called it the ‘best feeling ever’. Describing the journey so far, Iyer said, “It has been a rollercoaster. At the end of the day, we stuck together as a family. I am very happy with the effort every individual has put in.”

Talking about the captaincy, the Mumbai born said that it taught him many things. “Lot of responsibility comes with being a captain. But I have been getting support from coaches and support staff. On top of that, the team has been so special. I am really fortunate to have such an amazing team,” he said in the interview during the post-match presentation ceremony.  

At one stage Delhi were going more than 10 runs per over and looking good to score beyond 200, however, the run flow was curtailed. Iyer gave the credit to Rashid Khan and his lethal bowling. “We were going at 10rpo, but we know Rashid can be lethal in the middle. The plan was to not give him wickets,” he said.

The decision to open with Marcus Stoinis was a surprising one. The 25-year-old reasoned that it was a new plan as the openers lacked a lot in previous matches. “We needed a rocket start; we thought if he goes and plays maximum deliveries he can give us a good start,” said Iyer.

The next game would be the big final that Delhi has never played, but Mumbai has, as recently as the last year. The pressure is going to be on the Delhi team and Iyer is aware of it. “The emotions keep going high and low, so you can't have the same set of routines. We have to keep chopping and changing. I am hoping that in the next game against MI the biggest team, we're able to play freely as well.”

Losing captain, SRH’s David Warner was happy to have reached such a stage where they were just one shot away from playing the finals. He counted it as an achievement because no one literally gave them any chance of making it that big.

“First and foremost, no one gave us a chance at the start. Mumbai has a great team, Delhi as well, and RCB, but I'm proud to be where we are today,” Warner said in the post-match interview.

Calling T. Natarajan as the find of the season, Warner said, “He's been outstanding. Rashid has been amazing, and so has Manish Pandey at No. 3. From an all-around perspective, it's been great.”

The Hyderabad team looked hapless in the field and anybody watching the match would agree to it that fielding cost them, dear. “The main thing is (the) attitude in the field,” said Warner. “You can't win if you don't take catches, so that, we'll have to do much better next time - that's what's let us down in this tournament - the attitude on the field,” he added.  

Missing key players was a big loss for the SRH team and the Australian acknowledged it. “(Without) Key players like Saha and Bhuvi has been difficult, but the rest of them have been excellent in their roles to get us where we have gotten today,” said the 33-year-old.

Thanking the SRH supporters for their amazing support throughout the season, Warner called them loyal and hoped that the next IPL was played in India. “I'd like to thank all our supporters at home. The fans are so loyal; I saw that photo of a bridge being lit up today. Hyderabad is our second home, and the franchise owners are like a family. Hopefully, after this we can go and play the IPL in India next year and put up a better show,” he concluded.

Expert Opinion

Experts were overwhelmed by how Delhi played and also praised the fightback that was led by Kane Williamson. They were happy to see a tight game after a dull first qualifier and also said that two of the best teams are in the final.

Harsha Bhogle called Delhi's journey as a soothing influence on the covid infuse  IPl season as a team after so much of heartbreaks finally made it to the finals and how.  

Ayaz Memon, the veteran cricket expert said that Hyderabad would rue the missed chances in the field and also praised the Kiwi captain Kane Williamson for the fightback that he led along with Abdul Samad.  

Seervi Bharath, a cricket statistician showed how SRH gave up the match in the first half as it was the most expensive spells for Shahbaz Nadeem and Jason Holder in this season while later on Williamson and Abdul Samad also registered their highest individual scores.  

Veteran sports journalist Joy Bhattacharjya praised Hyderabad for playing fearless cricket and reaching the position that they did.

Journalist Gaurav Kalra’s was the most humorous and yet true comparisons of the fact that Delhi Capitals will be playing their first final and will also be having a chance to win the game on a day when one of Delhi’s players and Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav would also be vying to become the Chief Minister of Bihar for the first time.

The final would be a tough nut to crack for Delhi, especially against a team as experienced as the Mumbai Indians. But this victory would have sent warning bells ringing in the opposition camp. For Delhi it would be a great opportunity of having the last laugh if they could win the finals, having lost all three matches against the Mumbai team this year.  

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