April 30, 2025: Despite suffering two consecutive defeats at home in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Delhi Capitals all-rounder Vipraj Nigam has assured fans that the team will push for a comeback and aim for a top-two finish in the standings.
Delhi’s promising campaign, which began with them sitting comfortably at the top of the points table, has recently faced a harsh reality check. After a devastating 14-run defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders, DC finds themselves struggling to maintain their early momentum. The match saw KKR putting up a spirited performance to keep their playoff hopes alive, while Delhi’s chase was derailed after a dominant spell from Sunil Narine.
At the start of the chase, Delhi was cruising with a strong 76-run partnership between Faf du Plessis and skipper Axar Patel, who showed controlled aggression and kept the defending champions at bay. However, the tide turned when Axar was dismissed by Narine, who took his third wicket of the match. Axar’s attempt to clear the ball over extra cover ended in a catch from Harshit Rana, sending him back to the dugout for 43 off 23 balls.
Things went from bad to worse for Delhi when Tristan Stubbs was bowled out, and Faf du Plessis followed suit shortly after, sending the middle order tumbling. Narine’s spell proved too much to handle, and within just three overs, Delhi had lost their set batters and their grip on the match.
Post-match, Vipraj Nigam reflected on DC’s approach against KKR’s spinners, admitting that their strategy was always to target Kolkata’s key bowlers. However, he acknowledged that poor shot selection in key moments led to the downfall of their set batters, which shifted the momentum in KKR’s favor.
“We had planned to target their main spinners, and we did so in the first two overs. But shot selection went wrong in a couple of moments, and we lost our set batters. It’s hard to slog on such a surface against their bowling lineup. If our set batters had continued to play, we would have won,” Vipraj said in the post-match press conference.
Despite the loss, Delhi remains in the fourth spot on the points table, but with the gap between them and the teams outside the top four shrinking, Vipraj expressed confidence that the team could make a comeback.
“We’re still in the top four, and we have five games left. We’ll try to make a comeback and finish in the top two,” he added.
With the stakes high and the pressure mounting, Delhi Capitals will be hoping to bounce back in their upcoming matches and secure a spot in the top half of the standings.