IPL 2023: Aakash Chopra Believes KKR's Decision In Powerplay Cost Them Against DC

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New Delhi, April 21: Former cricketer and JioCinema IPL expert Aakash Chopra believes Kolkata Knight Riders' decision to use pacers in the powerplay cost them in close IPL 2023 match against Delhi Capitals.

Delhi Capitals finally recorded their first win in six games in the IPL 2023, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday (April 21) night.

In a match that witnessed a delayed start of about one hour owing to rains, KKR were restricted to 127, thanks to a magnificent bowling effort by the hosts. In reply DC, surpassed the target, finishing at 128/6 in 19.2 overs.

Skipper David Warner led DC's charge with 57 runs (41b, 11x4) while the experienced Manish Pandey chipped in with 21 off 23 balls. But it was the home team's bowlers who starred on the night.

The veteran Ishant Sharma, playing his first match this season, claimed 2/19 in 4 overs, while South African paceman Anrich Nortje claimed 2/20. Spinner Axar Patel returned with 2/13 in three overs and also scored an unbeaten 19. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav too was extremely disciplined, taking 2/15 in three overs.

Speaking of KKR's performance, JioCinema IPL expert Chopra said: "When you look back, the road always looks clear. But in the moment, you have to weigh your options and how you are going to use them.

"In my opinion, using three pacers initially was a bit too much. Because you were defending only 127 and DC had already scored 31 of those runs in three overs," he said.

Chopra further added that a rare off day for seasoned spinner like Sunil Narine was also the reason for KKR defeat as he cited how the other spinners contributed in the match.

"They did call their spinners thereafter, but it was a rare off day for Sunil Narine. Because if Anukul Roy, Nitish Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy - nobody gave more than 5 runs an over," Chopra added.

'And then you have Narine who wasn't able to get a wicket and went for 36 runs in four overs. Then you think that our senior most bowler let us down today.

"Sometimes, you look at the senior-most of the house and hope they will bail you out when you are in trouble, but that didn't happen in Narine's case today. Nevertheless, Kolkata fought hard. But the reality is you are still stuck at the place you began," he added.

While there has been much debate on how DC skipper Warner's strike rake in the IPL 2023 so far, Chopra felt the Australian opener batted very well and when chasing such small totals, the talk is never about strike rate.

"When you are chasing, the talk is never about the strike rate as you are playing according to the scoreboard. You approach the game with the mindset asking yourself what is needed," Chopra said.

There may be an argument that if DC had finished the chase early it would have given them some boost in Net Run Rate, but Chopra believes for a team that has lost 5 in a row getting a win was what mattered the most in the end.

"It's not important in which over you win the match. But Warner batted well. The bowling was a bit ordinary in the beginning but what must have mattered to Warner was that he ended up on the winning side," Chopra concluded.

Delhi Capitals will hope to carry their winning form into their next match when they travel to Hyderabad to face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday (April 24), while KKR will be at home to Chennai Super Kings on Sunday (April 23).