DC vs RR: Sourav Ganguly blamed in a bizarre rant for Delhi's loss vs KKR

Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra expressed his surprise and criticism over the decision of the Delhi Capitals (DC) to bat first after winning the toss at Eden Gardens in the 47th match of the ongoing IPL 2024 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 29.

Chopra questioned the logic behind Delhi Capitals' (DC) decision while highlighting the historical trend at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The former Indian batter pointed out that in the last 30 matches played at the venue, teams winning the toss and opting to bat first have faced defeat on every occasion except twice.

However, the cricket expert admitted that there's no guarantee of winning while chasing in Kolkata, but he reiterated that choosing to bat first at Eden Gardens due to the seeming advantage of batting later on the same pitch is a very rare and surprising call. He feels DC lost the match to KKR due to their decision to bat first in Kolkata.

Aakash Chopra blames Sourav Ganguly for DC's big defeat against KKR

Chopra also questioned how the DC team director Sourav Ganguly could misread the pitch and allow the skipper Rishabh Pant to make a bold call to bat first in the IPL 2024 clash with the KKR even though Eden Gardens is the former Indian skipper’s home ground and he knows the pitch very well.

He indirectly blamed Ganguly for DC’s massive defeat against the KKR, as the Prince of Kolkata is very familiar with the pitch and he has a better understanding of the pitch's behavior than others, so he should have recognized the advantage of chasing against the KKR.

Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel: “Who bats first after winning the toss? I am not being too critical but I have to talk about it if it's the truth. The team winning the toss has batted first only two times in the last 30 matches here, and whoever did that lost. It's not that you always win while chasing but no one bats first in Kolkata.”

Whatever happens, the batting becomes slightly easier later but Delhi said they would bat first. I was surprised. If Sourav Ganguly couldn't read this pitch, who could have? This pitch is like the back of his palm. You know all of it, so it wasn't understandable.”

Aakash Chopra slams Rishabh Pant's batting approach against KKR

Meanwhile, Chopra expressed his shock at the batting approach of DC skipper Rishabh cPant against KKR in Kolkata. With four wickets falling in quick succession, there was an expectation that Pant, along with Axar Patel, would stabilize the innings for DC. However, Chopra was taken aback by Pant's unorthodox approach when he should have brought the team out of danger.

The commentator further criticized Pant for seemingly attempting different shots with each delivery without maintaining a consistent strategy. Chopra also noted that Pant repeatedly tried the same shot, which ultimately proved ineffective and contributed to the DC’s woes against KKR.

However, despite the loss, DC remains in the race for the IPL 2024 playoff, sitting in the 6th spot in the standings with 10 points from the 11 games that they have played so far in the lucrative league.