After Delhi Capitals suffered a dramatic collapse, South African fast-bowling icon Dale Steyn pointed to a specific problem he believes modern batters are facing: they are not doing enough work against the kind of “hard” lengths that top pace bowlers consistently hit. The issue was laid bare on Monday night in IPL action, where Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismantled the Delhi batting order early, firing the ball with discipline and pace to expose how difficult those lengths can be when batters haven’t fine-tuned their preparation for them. Steyn said the batters may not be intimidated in the old sense, but they still don’t practice often enough in the exact areas that bowlers like Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar, Kagiso Rabada and Jofra Archer aim at.
Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar struck in the opening surge, taking six wickets in the first four overs and setting the tone for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s rout of Delhi. The end result was emphatic: Delhi Capitals were bundled out for just 75 in 16.3 overs, a total that underscored how quickly the match slipped away once the batting plan failed under pressure.
Steyn, reflecting on what he saw from the bowlers’ ability to land the ball in the same threatening channel, argued that the gap is not simply fear—it is preparation and technical readiness. “Watching Buvi, Hazelwood, throw KG and Archer in there too, there’s a genuine fear from batters not because they scared, but they know exactly where these greats are going to bowl but don’t practice enough in that area to have answers,” Steyn wrote on X. He added that the challenge is rooted in technique and that it is too late in a tournament to suddenly fix what is missing. “The fear is technical skill, too deep into the tournament to change now, watch these bowlers continue to dominate. Its called a HARD length for a reason…,” he said.
Herschelle Gibbs, another former South African batter, supported Steyn’s view from a batting standpoint. Gibbs suggested that batters are not taking the initiative often enough—specifically, they are not advancing down the pitch with the intent needed to disrupt these bowlers and force them away from their preferred lines and lengths. “No batter keen to run at them to get them off their lengths,” Gibbs replied.
Delhi’s innings mirrored that diagnosis. They had slumped to 8 for six at one point, and although they managed to inch forward, the damage had already been done. By the end of the six-over powerplay, Delhi reached only 13 for six, which ended up being the lowest-ever powerplay score in IPL history.
Earlier in the season, Delhi Capitals had shown the other side of the coin in their previous match, posting 264/2 against Punjab Kings. However, they were unable to protect that strong total, and the contrasting fortunes continued when Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar’s early breakthroughs ensured Delhi’s collapse turned into a chase they never truly had a chance to control.
