IPL 2023: They have been our rock – David Warner lavishes praise on Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav

Delhi Capitals skipper David Warner has heaped praise on the spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav after their seven-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad on Monday.

SRH were chasing a below-par score of 145 and the spin duo conceded only 43 runs in the eight overs they bowled collectively and also scalped three wickets. Patel returned with figures of 2-21 whereas Yadav had 1-22 as both of them were right on the money.

Patel accounted for a well-settled Mayank Agarwal and SRH skipper Aiden Markram whereas Kuldeep got rid of Abhishek Sharma.

On the other hand, David Warner also lauded Mukesh Kumar who successfully defended 13 runs in the final over. Kumar conceded only five runs as he nailed his yorkers.

David Warner said in the post-match presentation, “Love it here, it’s an amazing crowd, they always come here and support. Thanks for all the support. The game throws us challenges, for us, it’s great to get two points. Mukesh under pressure was amazing. Well done to him and the two spinners, they’ve been our rock. These two are experienced bowlers, they are never going to let you down.”

Furthermore, Warner was also full of praise for veteran pacer Ishant Sharma. The lanky paceman had returned with match-winning figures of 2-19 in his opening match of the season against KKR and returned with figures of 1-18 in the three overs he bowled against SRH. Ishant took the wicket of Rahul Tripathi.

Warner added, “From day one, he (Ishant) kept on telling me that was he ready. Unfortunately, he was sick a few games before but credit to him. He’s worked very hard to get back into the IPL. To get an opportunity and to bowl upfront as he has, that’s exceptional. We spoke about it at the end of 0 (wins) out of 5 (games), that teams have won before from there. Hopefully, we can make it three in a row. We’ve got back-to-back games against the Sunrisers, so we have to start again.”

Delhi Capitals will look to carry the same impetus in the upcoming matches. The Capitals will once again take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Saturday.