IPL 2018: Dinesh Karthik raised questions on D/L method. But why?

Dinesh Karthik in action against Kings XI Punjab today. Image Source: XtraTime
Dinesh Karthik in action against Kings XI Punjab today. Image Source: XtraTime

Kolkata: After facing a horrific 9-wicket loss against Kings XI Punjab home team skipper Dinesh Karthik thinks that Duckworth–Lewis (D/L) method is very “strange” and raised his voice in favour of using ‘VJD method’.

“I have always thought that the VJD is an Indian method and it’s an Indian domestic tournament, why not think about it in the future? It’s been proven that it’s a really good method, we have used in domestic tournaments. Only for IPL, we use D/L. Why not think about VJD here and promote it?” Karthik questioned at the post match press conference today at the Eden Gardens.

Chasing a revised Duckworth-Lewis target of 125 after a 95 minutes’ rain interruption, Punjab comfortably reached home with 11 balls to spare. Gayle, who scored his third fifty-plus score in a row also got the Orange Cap. He has now scored 229 runs in the three innings he played so far. The Jamaican scored the winning runs with a six off Tom Curran over long-on as they sealed the issue with 11 balls to spare.

“It is interesting that at the stage rain stopped play, they needed about eight runs an over but after the D/L method, they come back and they need six runs an over, run a ball,” Karthik said.

“That was little surprising, because ideally if it would have been a 20-over game, they would have needed eight an over. If we could have got two quick wickets, the run rate would have kept going up. Suddenly after rain, they needed run-a-ball. I didn’t understand that bit but I am sure people (calculating) Duckworth-Lewis is trying to figure out what it is,” the newly-appointed captain added.

The VJD method was used in the domestic limited overs matches this season.

Asked about Andre Russell’s injury after the West Indian all-rounded aggravated his hamstring during bowling and had to leave the field, Karthik said, “I’ve not spoken to him but he looks okay for now.”