New Delhi: To successfully chase down a 243-run target, capitalisation of the powerplay overs is essential, which Delhi Capitals couldn’t do in their 48-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, lamented director of cricket Venugopal Rao.

After Abhishek Sharma‘s 68-ball 135 not out, studded with 10 sixes and 10 boundaries, propelled SRH to 242 for two, Delhi managed 195 for nine.

Even though they lost only Pathum Nissanka in the first six overs of powerplay, Delhi reached 59 runs during that period when they should have reached around 80-90.

“When chasing a target of 240-plus, a strong start in the first six overs is essential. I think we fell about 15 to 20 runs short in that period. To track down a total like that, you ideally need to be close to 80 or 90 runs by the end of the Powerplay; with the batting depth we have, we could have reached the target from there. However, finishing the Powerplay with 59 was not enough; we missed a crucial opportunity,” Rao said after their loss.

No.3 batter Nitish Rana struggled to get going and couldn’t rotate the strike freely, with KL Rahul facing only six deliveries during the period of field restrictions.

“It also didn’t help that KL Rahul couldn’t get enough of the strike after Pathum Nissanka got out. If you look at the first few overs, he hardly faced any deliveries,” the former India batter said.

“As a batter, you need to face a significant number of balls to make a real impact in the Powerplay. He hit a six and a boundary, but because Nitish Rana ended up facing most of the deliveries, Rahul couldn’t find his rhythm. I felt that was where the momentum shifted toward SRH.”

Bowling changes questioned

DC skipper Axar Patel asked Rana to bowl four overs but asked specialist spinner Kuldeep Yadav to bowl only two overs, which left Rao wondering it was the coreect judgement call.

“Ultimately, it comes down to what the captain feels on the field. It’s easy to point fingers now and question why Nitish bowled four overs, but these are instant decisions. In this format, if a gamble works, it’s hailed as a brilliant move. These things happen in T20 cricket,” he said.