With no wins in their arsenal in 12 attempts in the Indian Premier League, Delhi Capitals had a busy outing at the IPL auctions as they were looking for the much needed experience. The current Head Coach Ricky Pointing has heaped praises on the new signees- Indian Batsman Ajinkya Rahane and former KXlP captain Ravichandran Ashwin. He stated the duo could add the much needed experience which could help win their maiden IPL title.
"Both of them are class players, and have been long-term Indian players. Ashwin has been one of the most successful spinners in the IPL history, and Rahane has led Rajasthan for a long time as well," - Ricky Poinitng said in an interview after a net session with the players.
"They have all sorts of skill, class, and experience which they'll add to our squad. We all know how important experience is in T20 cricket, and we understand that. We've got a young captain in Shreyas, but to have those older, more experienced minds on the ground will help us a lot,"- he added.
The temperatures have been soaring high in the middle-east country and the region experiences very high humidity during the months of August and September. Though the players were seen to give it all and have been training vigorously.
"The attitude from the start has been amazing, and today was no exception. It was hot and quite draining for the players but coming off on the back of a good season last year, you would expect the mood to be upbeat - and I was delighted to see that and it felt awesome to be back in the team environment, and I think there's no better place than to be in the Delhi Capitals camp at the moment. Weather conditions will be a challenge this season for franchises, which could be overcome by managing training sessions better”- said the former Australian captain.
Delhi Capitals have been one of the unfortunate teams in the IPL, as like RCB they have had one of the biggest names in the sport but have not managed to get over the line and the Head coach Pointing said he was confident that with the current squad he has they can get over the line. He also stressed one the importance of being focused as a lot is going on due to the ongoing pandemic and make sure not to over-train as the conditions can take a toll on the players.
He further added on the importance of maintaining a good atmosphere in the camp as it's all about staying happy and the rest of the things will follow. Delhi Capitals finished the league stage of 2019 in the 3rd spot and looked in a very good position to win the title before losing out in the play-offs.
Pointing stressed on the importance of taking the positives from the last season and implementing it in the upcoming one and also making sure the protocols are followed strictly during the pandemic.
"With all the protocols involved, the teams that manage themselves the best throughout the tournament, I think, will go a long way. What I mean by management is not managing the players, but managing our time as well, and finding things and activities which we can do together as a group," added Ponting.
The IPL is scheduled to commence from the 19 September with the finals to be played on 8 November. The news of 13 members of Chennai Super Kings camp testing positive for the virus have taken a toll at the IPL committee and few sources have reported the opener which was initially scheduled to take place between CSK and MI, might now be replaced with RCB taking on the Mumbai Indians.
Cover Credits: Cricketlounge
