His latest failure came against Sri Lanka in the second ODI, where he could only assemble nine runs in as many balls before departing back to the pavilion.
Delhi Capitals (DC) will be concerned about the form of their premium overseas batter, Jake Fraser-McGurk, who endured another failure on the international stage. DC exercised their Right To Match (RTM) card to get him back in the IPL 2025 auction, buying him at a whopping INR 9 crore.
His latest failure came against Sri Lanka in the second ODI, where he could only assemble nine runs in as many balls before departing back to the pavilion. McGurk tried to play an aerial shot but couldn’t get the elevation since it was a knuckle ball and gave an easy catch to the fielder at mid-off, resulting in a second consecutive low score in the series.
This has been an issue with his batting, as McGurk often tries to muscle the ball without gauging the line, length, and speed with jammed feet. That results in shots getting mistimed early in the innings, and since more fielders are inside the ring, he loses his wicket cheaply.
The teams have figured out his modus operandi and have been smart enough to adjust their bowling plans accordingly. Unfortunately, McGurk hasn’t evolved as much as he would have, leading to a number of low scores across formats.
While Delhi Capitals showed massive faith in Jake Fraser-McGurk’s abilities, his dwindling form must be concerning for the management. If he doesn’t improve soon, DC can look for alternatives and try Faf du Plessis at the start of the tournament.
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Faf also blew hot and cold in the recently concluded SA20 2025 but brings a wealth of experience, which makes him better equipped against quality IPL bowlers. The opponents will have plans in place for McGurk this time after seeing a pattern in his dismissals lately, and they can exploit severely.
The only thing going in McGurk’s favour is the nature of the pitch across IPL venues. Last year, he thrived on flat decks and consistently provided rapid starts to his side, as his powerplay strike rate of 250.94 in IPL 2024 suggests.
Given the kind of batter he is, McGurk can find form while batting on some true surfaces where he will get his value for the shots. It will be interesting to see whether DC persist with him or if Faf gets the opportunity in the initial phase.
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