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Hrithik Shokeen blames mismanagement for West Delhi Lions' failure in DPL
The all-rounder, who saw his team lose seven of their nine matches, says he faced problems in deciding on the permanent slots for the batsmen; he complained that they kept searching for the right combination
Khurram Habib
02 Sep, 2024
Beleaguered West Delhi Lions captain Hrithik Shokeen lashed out at the mismanagement in team selection and composition after his team lost the seventh match at the ongoing Delhi Premier League being played in the Capital’s Ferozeshah Kotla grounds of the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Shokeen’s Lions went down by 52 runs against Himmat Singh’s East Delhi Riders and remain at the bottom of the points table in the six-team tournament. They have played nine matches and have just one more game left.
“We weren’t able to execute the plans that we had set. Even during matches we faced problems who to play in what position. We couldn’t get a settled combination. I think that was the key factor in our failure,” said Shokeen.
Asked if there was interference from the management in team selection, he said, “We couldn’t get the right combination from the start. We kept searching for the right combination till the very end. We couldn’t set it.”
Shokeen will now leave the team and fly out to play Duleep Trophy. He said the team’s poor performance in DPL won’t affect his confidence. While he was short of runs, the all-rounder stood out with the ball.
On Sunday evening, when the Riders racked up 222/6 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to Himmat Singh’s 29-ball 55, Anuj Rawat’s 28-ball 52, Sujal Singh’s 28-ball 43, and Mayank Rawat’s 13-ball 28, Shokeen conceded just 19 runs in three.
He made 31 off 19 as the Lions ended at 170/8.
Shokeen came at No. 8, a decision that came as a surprise.
“I wanted to bat lower down because I wanted to give opportunity to other youngsters. We are planning for the next season.”
The East Delhi Riders, on the other hand, marched straight ahead and occupied the top spot in the points table. They were already through to the semi-finals before they entered this game.
Brief Scores
East Delhi Riders 222/6 in 20 overs (Anuj Rawat 52 off 28 balls, Himmat Singh 55 off 29 balls; Akhil Chaudhary 4/55) beat West Delhi Lions 170/8 in 20 overs (Deepak Punia 35 off 24 balls, Hrithik Shokeen 31 off 19 balls; Simarjeet Singh 2/30, Harsh Tyagi 2/22)
Tags : Delhi Premier League, Cricket, Hrithik Shokeen, West Delhi Lions, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Ferozeshah Kotla