Brathwaite pointed to lapses in DC\u2019s bowling plans despite having a daunting total to defend and also raised questions about the lesser use of Natarajan in the first six overs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhen you bat and score 200 and a lot, you don\u2019t necessarily need to be defensive, but have a mindset that this can be scored. I saw Natarajan bowl just one over in the power play. They could have been a little bit more proactive,\u201d Braithwaite told ESPNCricinfo.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Defending 264 for 2, powered by KL Rahul\u2019s unbeaten 152 and Nitish Rana\u2019s 91, DC handed four of the first five overs to Mukesh Kumar and Auqib Nabi, who conceded a combined 87 runs. Captain Axar Patel also went for 20 in his over as PBKS raced to 116 without loss in the powerplay.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Brathwaite felt DC missed an opportunity to apply early pressure by not using their key bowlers upfront.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cGet Kuldeep on early. He may not get a wicket, but he may stem the flow of runs for an over. Natarajan took the pitch out of play. If Natarajan and Kuldeep had bowled three out of the first six overs, and PBKS had scored 65 in the powerplay, PBKS would have so much more to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav was introduced only in the eighth over, by which time PBKS had already surged to 127, with Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya dominating the attack.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The strong start ensured that when PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer came in after the openers fell in the seventh and eighth overs, the required rate remained under control. Iyer went on to anchor the chase with an unbeaten 71 off 36 balls.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThey did so much in the powerplay that when Shreyas came in, he could be eight off his first eight balls,\u201d Brathwaite said. \u201cThat would never be possible if you need to score 19 or 20 per over, then everybody has to come in and go,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Brathwaite further said that defending a total in excess of 260 demands aggressive intent with the ball from the very beginning.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThey did so much in the powerplay that when Shreyas came in, he could be eight off his first eight balls,\u201d Brathwaite said. \u201cThat would never be possible if you need to score 19 or 20 per over, then everybody has to come in and go,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
DC\u2019s troubles were compounded in the field as Karun Nair dropped Iyer twice late in the innings, misses that proved costly as PBKS completed the highest successful chase in IPL history with seven balls to spare.<\/p>\r\n\r\n