Tag: IPL2020

by Abhishek Shukla

Rajasthan Royals first match preview

Rajasthan Royals begin their journey into the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League on the 22nd of September with a big game against the Chennai Super Kings. This will be the first time since 2009 that an entire season of the IPL will be played outside India and also the second time that the tournament has been moved to the UAE, with the previous trip being in the 2014 season. A new time of the year, new venues but with a renewed belief, the Royals are ready to go and make their mark in the much-awaited Dream11 IPL 2020.

Venue talk

The Sharjah cricket stadium will have its first game of the Dream11 IPL 2020 when it hosts the Royals against Chennai Super Kings. One of the three venues for this year’s competition, the venue is iconic in cricketing books and has its own special place in history, having witnessed some intense nail-biting finishes through the course of time. The Sharjah cricket stadium hosted six IPL games back in 2014, including a solitary game for the Royals against Kings XI Punjab. 

While teams batting first have usually ruled the roost at the venue, the situation is quite contrasting when it comes to IPL cricket. The teams batting second have ended up on the winning side on four of the six occasions.

The venue promises to produce an entertaining affair, as it has the highest boundary count out of the three being played on.

Early Team news

The team has all its bases covered, with plenty of options to go with depending on the nature of the surface on the day. Our big international contingent who recently returned from the England-Australia series in Manchester, with the exception of Jos Buttler, have completed their respective quarantine periods and are available for selection, boosting the squad’s morale and providing coach Andrew McDonald with great flexibility ahead of the big opening game. 

Jos Buttler will miss the opening game of the IPL as he remains in quarantine, having arrived separately with his family. Ben Stokes, who is currently in New Zealand with his family, will also remain unavailable for the first game of the Dream11 IPL. 

Opposition chatter

The Super Kings from Chennai turned up in style on the opening night with an impressive win against the defending champions, Mumbai Indians. The game saw the Super Kings start slow and were off the pace in both the innings. However, they were able to turn it around both times and emerge victorious. Our defeats last season were tough to take and the boys are motivated to get over the line this time, making up for the previous heartbreaks against last season’s runners-up. CSK are likely to remain without all-rounder Dwayne Bravo for the game but will have the rest of their squad available for the showdown. 

The big talking point

The first game of the season is always an exciting occasion, often because it presents an opportunity to watch our stars and some of the new signings in action. The Royals have a balance of youth and experience, with a huge amount of raw talent. Steve Smith’s availability means he will, for the first time ever captain Rajasthan Royals, right from the start of a season. Smudge, along with the rest of the squad will look to begin this year’s Dream11 IPL with a win and get those vital two points on board. With a good pre-season behind the Indian boys and some intense international cricket behind the recent arrivals, the fans can expect a big push from the boys in this first game and anticipate a high-energy clash in Sharjah. 

Word from the camp
Steve Smith (Captain)
Yeah obviously missed the last three one-dayers in England. Been in Dubai for a couple of days now with some good rest  and then got into a bit of running. Yesterday I did a bit of zig-zag running, which is part of the protocols to pass to get back to play and today I’ll have a hit in the nets. Hopefully, pull up well from the hit and be good to play tomorrow.
The guys have been here for a month now and from all reports, the training’s been magnificent.  It’s been good to catch up with both the old and the new Royals, we’re in a good place and have got a really good squad this year, really strong and we’re ready to get going.  

Chennai and Mumbai both have been two really strong teams for a long time now. We obviously watched a bit of the game the other night, the Super Kings played really well to get over the line in the end. Hopefully, we can put on a really good show and get our campaign off to a good start.

Andrew McDonald (Head Coach)
Fantastic news that Steve is available. It’s fantastic especially on the back of some setbacks back in the UK. It’s obviously great to have your skipper available for the first game as I’ve said before we are in really good hands. In terms of the rest of the squad, we couldn’t be happier with their preparation. We’ve got what we needed, having been here nice and early to get our preparation going on the back of the long lay-off. 
We have got the bases covered and have some really good depth in the squad and really looking forward to seeing what it looks like in a real competitive match against CSK. They had a fantastic first game, they’re one game into the tournament which is a slight advantage when you come out against the team that’s already played and performed. So, we’ll definitely have our work cut out and really looking forward to what our guys can bring to the table and we’re really excited about what the journey presents.  

We’ve trained at Sharjah a couple of times. Most of our players have got a really good feel for the surface. We’ve had some net practice in the middle which is always a positive rather than just nets out at the back. The guys have been able to feel what it’s like batting at the centre and have had plenty of fielding down there, so they are quite familiar with the stadium. Clearly a different surface to Dubai or Abu Dhabi in terms of runs and the size of the venue so it’ll create some difficult challenges there for the bowling unit so no question there being a high-scoring ground. But we feel the team will put out their best show to be able to combat what CSK will throw at us. 

by Abhishek Shukla

#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.”

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. 

https://youtu.be/g2Kqq5QNFX4

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. 

https://youtu.be/rf5w_Ia9mTM

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.”