Mumbai, 09 December 2023: The JSW-GMR co-owned Delhi Capitals made exciting additions to strengthen their squad at the TATA WPL 2024 Auction in Mumbai on Saturday. With three slots to fill, the runners-up of the inaugural edition bagged the Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland (INR 2 crore), along with the Indian uncapped duo of Aparna Mondal (INR 10 lakh) and Ashwani Kumari (INR 10 lakh).
The franchise acquired the services of Annabel Sutherland for INR 2 crore, which was the joint biggest buy of the WPL 2024 Auction. The 22-year-old, who was part of Gujarat Giants in the inaugural WPL edition, picked up three wickets in four matches. She is coming off an impressive WBBL campaign, where she picked up as many as 23 wickets and scored 288 runs in 14 matches for the Melbourne Stars Women. She was part of Australia’s 2023 ICC T20 World Cup-winning squad and has thus far played 22 T20Is and picked up 10 wickets.
Sharing his thoughts on acquiring Sutherland, Delhi Capitals Head Coach Jonathan Batty stated, “She was our number one target all the way through. We identified her multiple skill sets- she is an outstanding batter, one of the leading wicket-takers in the WBBL recently, and was the best all-rounder in the competition last year. She has got leadership qualities as well and is a gun fielder. We are very happy we have got her.”
Wicketkeeper-batter Aparna Mondal, who was part of Delhi Capitals’ squad last season, was reacquired for INR 10 lakh, while Ashwani Kumari became the last buy of the WPL 2024 auction, purchased at INR 10 lakh. The 26-year-old all-rounder from Jharkhand was part of Gujarat Giants in the previous season. She scored 153 runs at a strike rate of 120.47 in seven matches of the recently held Senior Women’s T20 Trophy. She also featured for East Zone at the Senior Women’s Inter Zonal T20 Trophy, scoring 103 runs in five matches, including a quickfire 52 off 25 balls.
Speaking about the exciting additions to the squad, Delhi Capitals’ Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly, said, “The staff wanted Sutherland, Aparna and Ashwani, that’s what we discussed at the auction, and we got them. The squad has been good since last year, so it’s an addition. Hopefully, we play well as we did last year.”
Ganguly further added, “We are a good side and it’s the continuity of players who have performed well. Our Indian players are really good, and some of them who were part of us last year have now gone up a step higher to be in the national team, so that’s also an additional advantage.”
Delhi Capitals full squad for WPL 2024
Overseas Players: Meg Lanning (C), Jess Jonassen, Marizanne Kapp, Alice Capsey, Laura Harris and Annabel Sutherland
Indian Players: Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Taniyaa Bhatia, Minnu Mani, Sneha Deepthi, Titas Sadhu, Aparna Mondal, Ashwani Kumari
Tag: Delhi Capitals
#IPL2020: Head Coach Ricky Ponting and Captain Shreyas Iyer expecting a strong start from the Delhi Capitals
Dubai, 19 September 2020: After having had a reinvigorating season last year, Delhi Capitals will start their 13th season of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Sunday, 20th September 2020 against Kings XI Punjab at the Dubai International Stadium. The JSW and GMR co-owned franchise will look to resume from where they left off last season, having made it to the play-offs in an impressive campaign marked by brilliant team performances.
Speaking ahead of their opening match and adjusting to the ‘new-normal’, Head Coach Ricky Ponting and Captain Shreyas Iyer addressed the media virtually over a video call, and seemed fairly confident of a good start. “We have done most of our planning and research on Kings XI leading up to this first game. One thing I say about IPL is that every squad is really strong. We can talk about how strong our team is, but I can guarantee that you can say the same thing about every other team,” expressed Ponting.
“We learned some lessons last year that if we turn up 100% prepared to play and committed to our tasks and plans, we think we will be really hard to beat. You know it’s been a long lead-up to this first game, but I’m looking forward to the challenge, as I’m sure all the players also are. I expect that we will start the tournament strong tomorrow,” said the Australian great looking ahead to his team’s opening match.
While captain Shreyas Iyer was quizzed on what he thinks about new additions in the form of Ashwin and Rahane, to which he replied, “They definitely bring a lot of strength and experience, and if you see the practice sessions we have had over the last few days, they have been amazing. They help everyone in the team and especially the younger guys.”
“With Rahane also in the mix, we think we’ve got a really balanced squad of players. There’s a lot of competition for spots and lots of flexibility. He gives us more depth to our batting and with the rest of the players in fine fettle, we think we’ve got lots of flexibility there,” added Ponting addressing the query on where he sees the experienced Indian fit into the side.
On challenges of playing away from home, and in the UAE, Shreyas reckoned that it “will be a big task” for his team, but “Dubai being a slow wicket shall help” in the latter stages of the tournament.
Asked whether playing in front of empty stadiums will be a challenge, Ricky said, “Playing in front of empty stadiums will be different. There are some challenges there for all the boys but once we do start, it will be about our group dragging their own atmosphere and energy, and will be focusing on lifting each other up.”
25-year-old Iyer was asked about the bio-bubble and how his team is dealing with it. “Circumstances are definitely challenging and unusual for us because we are used to staying in the sun for 6 hours. But we will be giving our best efforts to follow each and every rule, and at the same time we will be trying to come together as a team to make sure we are able to keep ourselves entertained and to ensure that we don’t feel like we are far away from our families,” he said.
Sending a message to the Delhi Capitals’ fans, Ponting said he would be hoping to do right by them. “We know we will have great support from back home, especially from Delhi. We’ve just got to make sure that we are doing the right thing by our supporters. So far the coaching group has done a good job to get the players prepared and now it is up to all of us to make sure we are ready to for the first game tomorrow,” said the Head Coach.
Ricky was also of the opinion that “seamers will have an impact during the early stages of the tournament” but “it will spin later as the season progresses.” “With only three venues and like 24 games in each stadium and only 4 wickets being used, 5 or more matches will be played on one pitch, so I think we can expect the conditions to change quite a bit,” he said.
Meanwhile Shreyas was asked if his team has decided on how they will be celebrating dismissals in the center, to which he said, “We haven’t decided anything yet. We did celebrate in our internal practice games by giving each other fist bumps. But we will have more clarity once we are briefed in our meeting later today.”
Addressing the ban on use of saliva during games, Ponting said he reckons shining the ball does not affect a T20 game as much as it does in a Test match. He said, “We’re having a health and safety meeting later this afternoon, where our doctors and physio will take about measures we need to take. Use of saliva is a habit – and I’ve spoken to the manager and I know that there are hefty fines. We are still a bit unsure on certain things – for example if sweat is allowed? But we will be briefed later today and I’m sure once games start, players will be aware of what they can do and what they can’t.”
Longer build-up to tournament a great opportunity to experiment, says Delhi Capitals’ Ravichandran Ashwin
Dubai, 02 September 2020:After having finished third in last season’s Indian Premier League, Delhi Capitals added some much needed experience to their ranks for the upcoming season, and India’s star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be expected to make an impact, with 125 wickets in 139 IPL matches under his belt.
Ashwin, who had joined the team from Kings XI Punjab in a trade, is looking forward to working with the team. “I had heard a lot about the Delhi Capitals, and I look forward to working with Punter (Ricky Ponting). I’ve had some wonderful conversations with him over the last week or so. Shreyas is a lovely young leader who is very clear in his head, I’ve had a few chats with him too,” said the veteran spinner.
“The whole atmosphere around the team is energetic with the youngsters. The mood in the camp is extremely exuberant. We’ve all gone through a difficult few months, and it’s great to see people in high spirits, mingling with each other despite being locked in for a week in the hotel. We were very disciplined as a group, and everyone was strict about staying in. I think that showed how much we want to go out there and play together,” added Ashwin.
With Head Coach Ricky Ponting calling Ashwin “one of the most successful spinners in IPL history”, the 33-year-old feels he has started understanding his role better. “I feel that in the shorter format of the game, it’s harder to be a bowler and easier to be a batter. My job is to come in at 7 or 8, and you’re going to get 5-6 deliveries at the most, sometimes not even that. The last 2 years at Punjab, I started understanding these roles better. I understand my role with the bat better now, and I can contribute better than I have done in the past. Of course bowling is what I enjoy. I don’t mind going for runs, it’s a challenge I love,” he said.
Talking about how he views the upcoming IPL season, the spin maestro said he will look to capitalize on teams having a slow start. “We’ve got a lot of energy reserve at this point and the eagerness to play the game is quite prevalent. The one thing Punter has made very clear to us is that we have to manage our workload well, and that’s going to be the key. This is probably the longest window an IPL team gets for practicing for the tournament. It’s usually 5-7 days, I’ve even joined the team just 2 days before the start because I’ve been playing for the national side right before that,” he said.
“This is actually a wonderful opportunity to top up your skills, try out new things. It’s like a laboratory to try things out in the game that you love so much. You can really pace yourself out, use your creativity and imagination, and settle into things as the tournament kicks off. It will be a slow and skeptical start for most teams, and that’s one of the areas where I’d like to capitalize,” the 33-year-old added.
Having completed the first few nets sessions with the Delhi Capitals, Ashwin said it was “exciting to be out in the open”. “Seeing a few human beings and being out in the open is not something we’ve done in the last few months, so yes, I’m excited. We’ve got nets, and top quality batsmen to bowl to, and then you’re testing yourself against the best. You know action is coming up and you’re back in the nets, so it’s an amazing feeling,” he signed off.
Teams that manage themselves best will go a long way, says Delhi Capitals’ Head Coach Ricky Ponting
Dubai, 02 September 2020: A very warm and humid Tuesday evening at the ICC Academy in Dubai saw JSW and GMR co-owned franchise Delhi Capitals train under their Head Coach Ricky Ponting for the very first time this season. The Australian legend seemed full of energy, and made sure his troops were upbeat as well.
Speaking post a three-hour nets session, Ponting said the conditions were draining but his team was happy to be back together. “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,” said the Head Coach.
Weather conditions will be a challenge this season for franchises, which Ponting said can be overcome by managing training sessions better, “We’ve got a smaller squad so I want to sort of manage our training sessions differently than we did last year. I’ve made it clear to the boys that we are not going to over-train in the first three weeks. I believe our preparation leading up to the first game is critical. I want to make sure that physically, technically and tactically the boys are peaking for the first game.”
“It is an unusual time we have got – having three weeks – I think we had slotted in about 20 training sessions before our first game, which in my opinion are too many, so we are just going to see how the boys are shaping up after every training session and then take it from there,” added the 45-year-old.
Commenting on how he intends to maintain the positive team environment from last season, Ponting said he wants his players to remember why they were successful last season. “Last year, I had as much fun as I’ve ever had with a cricket team, and I want to make sure we can replicate that this season as well. I think it’s really important that when you have success, you understand why you have it. I’ll be banking on the guys we still have from last year – it’s important for them to remember the positives. If they can impose that on the younger and new guys in the team, before you know it, you’re going to have this really infectious attitude around the team again which is what I’m all about as a coach,” said the veteran.
“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 who will be leading the Delhi Capitals into his third season as their Head Coach.
Complimenting newer recruits Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane, the Australian great said the duo will add a lot of experience to the squad. “Both of them are class players, and have been long-term Indian players. Ashwin has been one of the most successful spinners in IPL history, and Rahane has led Rajasthan for a long time as well. 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.”