The Delhi Capitals suffered their fifth consecutive loss in the 2023 Indian Premier League when they faced the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday. Despite restricting the hosts to a competitive score of 174/6 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, DC's batting lineup failed the team once again, and they were unable to chase down the target. In the sixth over, the side was reduced to 30/4 due to a top-order collapse. Manish Pandey's 50 did provide some resistance, but it was ultimately insufficient to secure a win.
DC is the only IPL franchise that has not yet won a game this season, and their tactics have been questioned throughout. Although their regular captain, Rishabh Pant, is absent, they have several star players, including David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, and Axar Patel. It is worth noting that the team's dugout includes two of the most successful captains in the game's history: Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri was unmerciful in his assessment of DC's loss to RCB and did not spare either the team or their director of cricket, Ganguly.
Shastri takes dig at Ganguly
“Problem now with Delhi Capitals is, especially with the way the other teams are going, you lose four on the trot, it becomes very, very difficult to come back,” Shastri said on-air as RCB were closing on a resounding win.
“There are people in that dugout that are not used to losing. Ricky Ponting's one,” Simon Doull, Shastri's fellow commentator, mentioned.
Shastri then took a colossal dig at Ganguly:
"It's not about losing. It's about being hammered. It's five on the trot, with you not looking like winning. Losing close games is one thing, when you're being outplayed by opposition, it's not a happy story.
“Sourav Ganguly, the former president of the board. He must have thought it's nice upstairs!” Shastri said, leaving his fellow commentators in splits.
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