Tag: Indian Premier League

by Abhishek Shukla

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. 

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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. 

by Abhishek Shukla

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. 

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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.”