Facing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday (November 2), Delhi Capitals (DC) not just had to win but also ensure that if they lose, they don't lose by a huge margin, in order to make it through to the playoffs.
And the team did exactly that in Abu Dhabi, winning comprehensively by six wickets to seal the second spot in the points table and also a clash with table-toppers Mumbai Indians (MI) in the qualifier 1 on Thursday (November 5).
Skipper Shreyas Iyer, however, said his team were always intent on overcoming their four-game losing streak and not focused on the net run-rate as much.
"Chuffed with the performance. We knew it was a do or die and we just focused on the win, not NRR. The teams who won in the latter half completely changed the scenario. It's a really competitive tournament for sure. I feel that the bowlers were really up with their plans and knew what they had to execute," Iyer said at the post-match presentation, as quoted by ANI.
It was the bowlers who set up DC's return to winning ways. Anrich Nortje (3/33) and Kagiso Rabada (2/30) were back among the wickets while Ravichandran Ashwin (1/18) and Axar Patel (0/30) delivered economical spells to restrict RCB to a manageable 152/7.
Then in the second half, top-order batsmen, Shikhar Dhawan (54) and Ajinkya Rahane (60), showed their experience and controlled the most of the run-chase, helping their team reach the 153-run target with an over to spare.
Iyer said in the build-up his team did an honest assessment of what had gone wrong in the previous outings and gauged their opponent too. The skipper also looked forward to the much-anticipated face-off with MI.
"We had a few sessions back in the hotel and the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition and it worked out today. Mumbai is one of the best teams in the tournament. We need to keep things simple, that's what we discussed in the meetings. Stick to the basics. The more you keep things simple, the easier it gets," he signed off.
