Delhi Capitals need to rework their strategy in IPL 2023: Mohammad Kaif

After tasting his first win in IPL 2023, David Warner will be leading Delhi Capitals against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next encounter. Warner - who has been a part of the Orange Army in the past IPL seasons - will have no dearth of support at Uppal. The Aussie will hope his team carries the momentum from the previous game and put up a much-improved show against Aiden Markram-led side.

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif reckons Delhi Capitals will have to rework on their strategy going forward in the tournament to keep themselves in contention.

Speaking on Star Sports' Cricket Live, Kaif said, "Delhi will have to focus on its team combination. This team will have to rethink its strategy. There are a lot of problems in the team and the morale of the players has gone taken a hit. Now, Delhi Capitals will have to forget everything and focus on winning consistently, which is not an impossible task."

SRH might have suffered back-to-back losses in their last couple of games but this team has some quality players who can change the complexion of the game. Harry Brook is one such player in the SRH side and the opponents will be wary of him.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan hailed the English top-order batter for the wide range of shots in his batting arsenal. "Harry Brook has a wide range of shots, he has shown a lot of maturity with his knocks so far in  IPL. The more he plays in  IPL, his game against spin will also improve," said Pathan.

Ajinkya Rahane has reinvented his game: Mithali Raj

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Chennai Super Kings thrashed Kolkata Knight Riders by 49 runs and registered a thumping win to climb to the top of the team standings with 10 points. Despite missing some key players due to injury, the MS Dhoni-led side has found match-winners in seasoned campaigner Ajinkya Rahane and rookie pacer Matheesha Pathirana.

Rahane has taken IPL by storm with his explosive batting performances in his debut season for CSK. Former India cricketer Mithali Raj hailed the Mumbaikar for reinventing his game at CSK after a few dud seasons. 

"Rahane has reinvented his game. He wanted to fit into the T20 format and that's why he changed his game. There has been no change in his shots but there has been a lot of change in his approach. This Rahane is looking brand new,” said Mithali.

Pathirana, the young right-arm slinger from Sri Lanka, is creating lots of buzz not just through his action but also for bowling in the right areas. Praising the youngster from Kandy, former India cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth compared him with legendary Lasith Malinga.

"This young bowler Pathirana is the second Malinga. He has a unique slinging action, clocks 140-plus consistently, and is very accurate. He also targets the right areas which makes him a dangerous bowler. Very good investment from CSK,” said Srikkanth.