Rabada’s form will be important for Delhi Capitals against Kolkata Knight Riders, according to Brian Lara

West Indies star Brian Lara believes bowler Kagiso Rabada’s form would be key for Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of their next Qualifier 2 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season. Rabada has 13 wickets this season, but has failed to remove any DC batsmen in his last four appearances. Lara remarked on Star Sports’ Select Dugout live stream, “Yes, he is a fantastic player (his form is a source of concern for Delhi). He was instrumental in their reaching the finals; he took a lot of wickets with slower deliveries in the middle and back-end overs, which he hasn’t done recently.”

“So, when you’ve got Anrich Nortje handling the front end, you want a world-class bowler who can repeat his performance from past tournaments, which he hasn’t done. He has had some anxiety as a result of this. I’m sure the Delhi Capitals would welcome Rabada’s return to form “, he went on to say.

DC fell by four wickets to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Qualifier 1 on Sunday, after placing first in the IPL 2021 Points Table during the league phase. In 20 overs, Delhi scored 172 for 5, with opener Prithvi Shaw blasting 60 off 34 balls. Rishabh Pant, the captain, also made an undefeated half-century, reaching 51 runs in 35 deliveries. Chennai reached 173 for six in 19.4 overs, chasing a target of 173, with MS Dhoni hitting the winning boundary. Ruturaj Gaikwad was in fine form at the crease, smashing 70 runs off 50 balls. Tom Curran, who was bowling the penultimate over, fell victim to Dhoni’s power-hitting, as he smashed an unbeaten 18 in six balls.

Curran grabbed three wickets in 3.4 overs despite failing to defend 13 runs in the penultimate over. Rabada, on the other hand, bowled three overs for 23 runs and no wickets.