The other teams also could not control it: Pravin Amre defends Rishabh Pant for giving Lalit Yadav two overs in the powerplay against SRH

Delhi Capitals assistant coach Pravin Amre has explained the reason behind the team using Lalit Yadav in the powerplay against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday (April 20) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

After Khaleel Ahmed conceded 19 runs in the first over, Rishabh Pant handed the ball to Lalit Yadav who was playing just his second match in IPL 2024. The decision raised a number of eyebrows as not many were expecting Lalit Yadav to get the ball in the powerplay and bowl against SRH's in-form openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma.

The decision completely backfired as Head hit him for two sixes and a four before Sharma hit him for a four as well. Lalit Yadav ended up conceding 21 runs in his first over. Rishabh Pant gave Lalit Yadav the ball to bowl another over in the powerplay and the off-spinner ended up giving away 20 runs in the fourth over as SRH raced away to 83 for no loss in just four overs.

In the fourth over, Sharma hit Lalit Yadav for two sixes while Head hit him for one six. Lalit Yadav did not bowl another over in the game as he ended the innings with figures of no wicket for 41 runs in just two overs.

Pravin Amre on Lalit Yadav bowling in the powerplay:

Rishabh Pant's decision to give two overs to Lalit Yadav in the powerplay against SRH's high-flying openers has been met with criticism from several quarters. Many have suggested that the DC skipper made a mistake by not giving the ball to any experienced bowler.

Speaking at the end of the game, Pravin Amre explained the reason behind the decision. The DC coach stated that the team-management had planned to use Lalit Yadav in the powerplay due to his knowledge of the local conditions. 

The former India batsman pointed out that even other team's pacers struggled against Head and Sharma and so DC wanted to try out the off-spinner against the two left-handed batters. At the same time, he also gave credit to the batters for the way they batted.

"SRH's strength was the openers. The other teams also, they could not control it. We thought that Lalit Yadav is local, Delhi boy, so we took a chance on that. We have to give credit to Abhishek, the way he handled the spinners," Amre told the media.

Record-breaking powerplay:

SRH went on to score a staggering 125 runs for no loss in the powerplay to break the record for most runs in the powerplay. The record was previously held by Kolkata Knight Riders for scoring 105 runs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2017.

SRH finished their innings on 266/7 and won the game by 67 runs after bowling out DC for 199. The win was their fifth of the season and took them to the second spot in the points table.