David Warner is maintaining a brave face but Australia’s IPL legend is still yet to find his groove this season as both Delhi Capitals’ captain and key batter.
Captain Warner, who is high on the overall league runs table batting at the top of the order but whose strike rate has come under the microscope, presided over a fifth consecutive defeat for his winless side on Saturday as they lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 23 runs in Bengaluru.
Once again, the 36-year-old opener was asked to hold the Delhi innings together as wickets tumbled early around him – including Australian teammate Mitch Marsh for a four-ball duck – but Warner was unable to spearhead the 175-run chase as he miscued a pull and holed out for 19 off 13 balls.
He and Delhi coach Ricky Ponting then cut glum figures on the bench as the Capitals succumbed to 9-151, with only Manish Pandey’s 50 helping them get anywhere near RCB’s 6-174.
“We have to have a hard look at ourselves and come back strong with five days off,” said Warner.
“Things aren’t working at the moment, but teams have come back from 0-5 so hopefully we can be that second team.”
“The positives were great, with our bowling and fielding exceptional. Our attitude and energy were amazing. But yet again it was just our batting.
“We’re going to have to try to work out how we’re going to take on the powerplay and not lose early wickets, especially in the first two or three overs.”
Warner’s batting has effectively been carrying the Capitals and with 228 runs in five innings, he’s the second-highest scorer in the whole competition.
But he’s not been scoring them at his old familiar rapid rate, his strike rate of 116.92 being sluggish in comparison to other top-line players.
Debutant medium-pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak was the key man for RCB, his 3-20 doing most to restrict Delhi in the chase.
Earlier, RCB’s maestro Virat Kohli scored his 47th IPL half-century by making 50 off 34 balls, including six fours and a six, to launch their innings but Aussie allrounder Marsh’s 2-18 off two overs proved significant in restricting them.
Glenn Maxwell, as usual, enjoyed himself, clouting 24 off 14 balls, with three big sixes, in an entertaining cameo which helped ensure Delhi remain rooted at the bottom of the table, the only team yet to win a match.
In the day’s later game at Lucknow, Matt Short, Australia’s BBL player of the tournament, again showed his worth with another sparkling little knock of 34 off 22 balls for Punjab Kings, which helped them squeeze to a two-wicket win over the hosting Lucknow Super Giants.
Lucknow made 8-159, centred on captain KL Rahul’s 74 off 56 and decorated with a couple of huge Marcus Stoinis sixes in his 11-ball knock of 15.
But Punjab reached 8-161, with Short’s five fours and a six at the top of the innings helping provide the launch pad before Sikandar Raza’s 57 and an unbeaten 23 from Shahrukh Khan got them across the line.
