Royal Challengers Bengaluru: India's prime spinner Kuldeep Yadav underlined the importance of picking wickets in the middle overs and reading conditions well after his side Delhi Capitals (DC) pulled off a thrilling six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
RCB looked set for a big total after racing through the powerplay, but DC’s bowlers clawed their way back by adjusting their lengths and pace on a surface that gradually slowed down.
"Obviously we started not really well. I thought they batted well in the first five or six overs. We knew the wicket is a bit slower side," Kuldeep said in a video released by IPL on X. “Especially, I was talking to Axar because the length was very important, and trying to vary the pace. Understanding who’s batting and what sort of strength they have. Someone like Phil, he’s a very left-side-dominated player, so we tried to keep him away. He’s just pushing it wide,” he explained.
The turning point came in the middle overs when DC struck in quick succession. Salt’s dismissal triggered a slowdown, and skipper Axar Patel further dented RCB by removing Devdutt Padikkal and Tim David, while Kuldeep himself chipped in with the key wicket of Romario Shepherd.
“We got the wicket of Phil and then Akshar, an important wicket of Tim David at that situation. And then obviously he brought me for Romario. It’s very important to pick the wicket,” Kuldeep said.
From a strong 105/3, RCB slipped to 175/8, managing just 29 runs in the last five overs as DC’s bowlers, including T Natarajan, Lungi Ngidi, and Mukesh Kumar, executed their plans to perfection.
Kuldeep believes that taking continuous wickets is crucial, especially on a short ground like the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where momentum can shift rapidly.
“Whenever I played here, the first thing that came to my mind was to pick the wicket in the middle. If I get one wicket, obviously, you are at the top of your rhythm at that time. And if you get another one, you’re putting pressure on the team. So that was my plan, especially playing here. Small ground, you can turn things in your side,” he added.
Kuldeep believes that taking continuous wickets is crucial, especially on a short ground like the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where momentum can shift rapidly.
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The game once again tightened in the death overs, but David Miller’s experience proved decisive as he smashed two sixes and a four in the final over to take DC home with a ball to spare.