At a glance
- Delhi Capitals head coach criticising home ground
- Only won twice at home this season
- Comments came after win against Rajasthan Royals
Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani has criticised their home pitch, after calling playing at home “an up and down curve.” Strangely enough, the comments came after their five wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in their last home game of this season’s IPL.
After the game, Badani said that the team have “stopped discussing the surface” and that they “play this venue as an away venue.”
That venue is the Arun Jaitley Stadium, but Delhi have had a poor record at the ground.It’s not the first time Badani has spoken out about the pitch.
He has implored the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to “look at the surfaces.” There is a question of whether the BCCI should allow the IPL teams to decide how their pitches should be, to give them home advantage. Badani believes that “if it has to be a consistent decision for all, then yes.”
Two games sum up the surfaces they have played on – in the match against Punjab Kings, Delhi lost after setting 265 to win. Their next home game, two days later, Delhi were bowled out for 75.
So far this season Delhi have scored 1,207 runs in seven games at home, averaging 172. However, the opposition have only scored 1,213 runs, averaging 173. Delhi have only won twice at home this season.
Speaking to press after the game, Badani said:
“If you’re able to break the season into two halves – about what’s happened at home and what’s happened away – we’ve have four wins in six games away and primarily we’ve struggled at home.
“From last year, we’ve had five at this venue plus we’ve had seven now, that’s 12 games, and we’ve only had three wins, one of them being a Super Over. That pretty much tells you how the surface has been for us.”
“It’s difficult to prepare“
Badani explained that the three pitches used in Delhi have not been the same on more than one occasion. He said:
“We are getting bowled out for 60; we are getting bowled out for 150; we are also scoring 260. We don’t know how Pitch No. 4 will play, how Pitch No. 5 will play, how Pitch No.6 will play.
“We’ve played on three pitches and all of them have been different each time. So it’s difficult to prepare. When you know this pitch will have a par score of 180, or a par score of 200, or a par score of 250, you structure the side accordingly. But here… whatever is happening is happening.”
Delhi are in seventh after that win against Rajasthan Royals, and have faint hopes of reaching the playoffs. Their last game is against Kolkata Knight Riders on 24th May in the last of the league games, before the playoffs.
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