IPL 2021 playoffs: Delhi look to avoid 2012 ghosts, KKR aim for repeat

IPL 2021 Playoffs: Delhi look to avoid 2012 ghosts – Rishabh Pant’s Delhi Capitals will be looking to banish their ghosts of the 2012 IPL season when they prepare to take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday. Rishabh Pant and Co had a chance to reach their second successive IPL final on Sunday, but fell short to Chennai Super Kings, but will have another bite at the cherry courtesy of their top-two finish.

Delhi Capitals suffered a demoralising defeat in their qualifier 1 against Chennai Super Kings, invoking ghosts of the 2012 season. Back then, known as Daredevils, Delhi finished top of the points table dominating the league stage under the captaincy of Virender Sehwag. Sehwag and Warner formed a stellar opening partnership, with Morne Morkel winning the purple cap that season.

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IPL 2021 Playoffs: Rishabh Pant’s Delhi Capitals look to avoid strange similarity with 2012 season – Check details

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Delhi Capitals 2021’s comparison to the Delhi Daredevils of 2012

Both the teams had a set left-right opening combination in David Warner- Virender Sehwag and Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan.
Delhi Daredevils had a set middle order in Mahela Jayawardene, Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor, while the Capitals have Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer to boot.
The Daredevils were top-heavy, meaning they compensated in the bowling department, with Morne Morkel leading the pack, supported by Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav and Irfan Pathan.
The Capitals have Kagiso Rabada leading the pack with Anrich Nortje and Avesh Khan for support. Marcus Stoinis and now Tom Curran have chipped in with great effect.
Shahbaz Nadeem was at the top of his game and the lead spinner with Venugopal Rao chipping in with his skills, but the Capitals have Axar Patel and Ravichandra Ashwin in an effectively managed pair.
Both Daredevils and Capitals finished atop the IPL points table at the end of the league stage.
Both teams faced Chennai Super Kings in the playoffs and lost.
Daredevils had faced Kolkata Knight Riders, and Capitals could potentially go up against them later this week.

IPL 2021 Playoffs: Rishabh Pant’s Delhi Capitals look to avoid strange similarity with 2012 season – Check details

Meanwhile, KKR would hope for a repeat of their performances in the 2012 season. The season marked KKR’s first title win, with Gautam Gambhir’s side beating the Chennai Super Kings in the final. KKR had beaten Delhi to reach the final, while CSK saw the back of Mumbai Indians and Delhi to reach the final. CSK then two-time champions, were favourites at home but Kolkata Knight Riders pulled off an upset win to lift their maiden title.

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