The Delhi Capitals have become a formidable
unit in recent seasons, making their first-ever final last year before marching
to the playoffs as table-toppers in IPL 2021. The Capitals came up short in last
year’s final against the Mumbai Indians, but they have gone from strength-to-strength
in this year’s pandemic-disrupted edition.

Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan have been
reliable in getting DC off to quick starts this season as well, while their
middle order is ably manned by the likes of Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmeyer and
others.

Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, a
crucial cog in DC’s run to the final last year, has not been able to contribute
as much this season due to injury and his compatriot Steve Smith has not made
the impact he would have liked to.

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But there is one player whose form has been
of particular concern to West Indies great Brian Lara. Speaking on the Star
Sports Dugout, Lara called Kagiso Rabada an “exceptional talent” but noted he has
failed to hit the highs of last season.

“Yes (his form is a concern for Delhi), he
is an exceptional talent. He played a big part in them getting to the finals
(in 2020), he got a lot of wickets in the middle and backend overs with slower
balls, and that has not been happening for him of late,” Lara said.

Rabada and his South African teammate Anrich
Nortje formed a formidable pace duo last year, taking 30 and 22 wickets each. This
time around, Rabada – who won the Purple Cap last season – has picked up just
the 13 wickets from 14 games and Lara said the 26-year-old has not been able to
provide the support for Nortje from the other end, which is expected from a
player of his reputation and calibre.

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“When you have Anrich Nortje doing the
business upfront, you want a world-class bowler who can do what he did in the
previous tournaments, which he hasn’t, and this has cost him a little bit of
anxiousness. I suppose Delhi Capitals will love to see Rabada back in form,” he
added.