Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Delhi Capitals by 7 wickets to register their sixth win in the Indian Premier League 2024. Former India players Mohammad Kaif, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Varun Aaron blamed Rishabh Pant for the loss.
Pant won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch that was slow in the first innings. His decision back-fired as the visitors flopped with the bat and managed 153/9 in 20 overs. Phil Salt amassed 68 runs off 33 balls to put Delhi out of the contest. He hit 7 fours and 5 sixes in his attacking knock.
“My friend Sanjay Manjrekar spoke about the track before the match and I trust his words. He said this was a different pitch as there was no hardness like the one we saw in the game against Punjab Kings. They chased down 262 runs. Rishabh should have listen to him before deciding to bat first. That call made a difference in the end,” Navjot Singh Sidhu said on Star Sports.
Kaif highlighted the late introduction of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel in the KKR chase.
“Rishabh Pant should have brought Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel in the powerplay overs. When they were finally introduced, the game was over for the Capitals. KKR spinners bowled well but Delhi failed to make proper use of their tweakers,”Mohammad Kaif said.
Varun Aaron shared the same views. “He should have brought Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel much earlier in the innings. These two could have made the difference had they taken a few wickets in the powerplay overs,” he said.
