News Analysis India

Tag: Delhi Capitals

  • IPL 2021: Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje reach Mumbai, but won’t feature in Delhi’s opening fixture on Saturday

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Delhi Capitals pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje arrived here on Tuesday but will miss the team’s opening fixture against the Chennai Super Kings due to the mandatory seven-day quarantine period.

    The South African pacers were retained by the side after their sensational bowling performances that helped the Capitals reach their maiden final last year.

    “Delhi Capitals’ fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje arrived at the team hotel in Mumbai on Tuesday,” the franchise said in statement.

    “Rabada and Nortje will be in quarantine for one week,” it added.

    Name this duo that has just arrived back to our DC FamilyWrong answers only #YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2021 @TajMahalMumbai pic.twitter.com/El3XLOy74y
    — Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 6, 2021

    The duo will undergo a week of quarantine and will thus miss DC’s opening game against the CSK here on Saturday.

    The South African players, who are part of IPL and competed in the ongoing ODI home series against Pakistan, left on Monday to link up with their respective IPL teams.

    This season, DC will be led by swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant in the absence of injured regular skipper Shreyas Iyer.

  • IPL 2021 SWOT analysis: All eyes on skipper Rishabh Pant as 2020 runners-up Delhi Capitals look to go one up

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Thrust into the leadership role, a completely transformed Rishabh Pant carries a lot of hope and responsibility on his shoulders as Delhi Capitals aim to build on the success of the last edition in the UAE, where they ended runners-up.

    A solid batting line-up coupled with a potent pace attack makes DC strong contenders this year too.

    Pant was handed captaincy a week back after Shreyas Iyer was forced out following a shoulder injury, sustained during the ODI series against England last month.

    Delhi Capitals have grown from strength to strength as they finished second runners up in the 2019 before reaching summit clash last year.

    Here is a look at the team which will begin its campaign against Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai on April 10.

    STRENGTHS:

    They are one of the most balanced sides in the tournament with a formidable batting line-up and a potent pace attack.

    In Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane, Delhi boast of a solid top order.

    Pant along with Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer or Sam Billings will look to fill the hole left by Iyer in the middle order.

    The addition of Steve Smith will further bolster their batting.

    Dhawan (618) was the second highest run-scorer in 2020 and looked in good touch in the recent ODI series against England with scores of 98 and 67.

    Shaw too will be itching to prove his worth after amassing 827 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy following his ouster from the Australia Test series and a dismal last season.

    Pant has emerged as a match-winner for India in the recent series against Australia and England.

    He along with all-rounder Stoinis and Billings will have to ensure that DC finish with a flourish.

    On the bowling front, South African pace duo of Kagiso Rabada (2020 purple cap winner) and Anrich Nortje has proved to a dream pair, having scalped 52 wickets together in 2020.

    With Chris Woakes also in the mix this time and Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav also in the ranks, Delhi have options in their pace battery.

    WEAKNESS:

    Delhi’s primary weakness is not having enough quality players in their ranks both overseas and home cricketers.

    Not having like-for-like replacements is one of the weak points.

    It was precisely the reason they were not able to rest Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.

    Even in terms of wicket-keeping, in case Pant has a niggle they didn’t have replacement.

    This year they have Vishnu Vinod of Kerala but he is a green horn.

    Also the Indian fast bowling is pretty weak as their two premier fast bowlers Ishant and Umesh don’t play much white ball cricket for the national team now.

    OPPORTUNITIES:

    Although a big challenge, but it will also be a huge opportunity for young skipper Pant to step out of the shadows of the legendary MS Dhoni by guiding his team to its maiden title.

    The league also provides Pant the opportunity to prepare for the T20 World Cup, where he will be a vital cog in India’s batting line-up.

    Dhawan too will look to seal the opening slot, while it is also a chance for R Ashwin and Axar Patel to prepare for the ICC event.

    THREAT:

    Pant has displayed resilience and understanding in his short career thus far but he will have to ensure that the added leadership responsibility doesn’t affect his natural attacking instinct as a batsman.

    Also DC’s pace unit is too dependent on Rabada and Nortje with back-up pacers Ishant and Umesh not boasting of a great T20 record.

    Last year, Delhi suffered four successive losses after seven wins in first nine games, jeopardising their play-off chances.

    They need to be wary of such a slump and avoid collapses like last year.

    The Squad: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant , Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddarth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings.

  • Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting recalls Prithvi Shaw’s ‘interesting’ training habits

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting has revealed that Prithvi Shaw refused to bat in the nets when he hit a bad patch in the last IPL and hoped that the highly-rated Indian youngster has changed his training habits “for the better” ahead of the upcoming edition.

    The former Australian skipper has been working with the 21-year-old for the past two seasons in the Delhi Capitals camp.

    He recalled how Shaw simply refused to pad up for nets when after scoring two fifties last season, he was hit by a slump.

    “…he had an interesting theory on his batting last year – when he’s not scoring runs, he won’t bat, and when he is scoring runs, he wants to keep batting all the time,” Ponting told ‘cricket.com.au’ as his side geared for the event starting April 9 in Chennai.

    “He had four or five games where he made under 10 and I’m telling him, ‘We have to go to the nets and work out (what’s wrong)’, and he looked me in the eye and said, ‘No, I’m not batting today’. I couldn’t really work that out.”

    “He might have changed. I know he’s done a lot of work over the last few months, that theory that he had might have changed, and hopefully, it has, because if we can get the best out of him, he could be a superstar player”.

    Ponting joined the DC squad on March 29 and just completed his week-long quarantine required to enter the IPL bio-bubble.

    Ponting said he did not hold back from giving a piece of his mind to the youngster last year but he “stuck to his word” and did not practice towards the business end of the tournament.

    “I was going pretty hard at him. I was basically telling him, ‘Mate you’ve got to get in the nets. Whatever you think you’re working on, is not working for you’,” he remembered telling him.

    “It’s my job as a coach to challenge someone’s preparation if they’re not getting results.”

    “So I challenged him and he stuck to his word and he didn’t practice much at all towards the back-end of the tournament, and didn’t get many runs towards the back-end of the tournament either.”

    However, Ponting is confident that Shaw will make it big internationally.

    “Maybe (his training habits) have changed for the better, because (his success) won’t just be for the Delhi Capitals, I’m sure you’ll see him play a lot of cricket for India as well in the coming years,” said Ponting.

    Ponting said there are visible similarities between Shaw and the great Sachin Tendulkar, right down to their diminutive frames.

    “He’s diminutive in the (Sachin) Tendulkar sort of mould but hits the ball incredibly powerfully off front and back foot, and plays spin really well,” he said.

    Shaw heads to the IPL on the back of a sensational Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign with champions Mumbai.

    Leading the side to victory, he scored four centuries and ended the tournament as the top scorer.

    “If we can get him to take that form that he’s just shown into the IPL, it just makes the balance on our Delhi Capital side so good.

    “If (the penny) does drop – I’m not sure I’ve seen many more talented players than him in my whole time of playing the game,” Ponting said.

  • IPL 2021: Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje on their way to link up with Delhi Capitals squad in Mumbai

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: South Africa pacers Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada are on their way to link up with the Delhi Capitals squad in Mumbai ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    “Now Boarding: The only #MondayMotivation you need. @AnrichNortje02 and @KagisoRabada25 are ON THEIR WAY to #IPL2021 #YehHaiNayiDilli,” Delhi Capitals tweeted.

    Last week, the members of the squad started training outdoors after completing their seven-day quarantine in Mumbai.

    On Saturday, Delhi Capitals’ assistant coach Mohammad Kaif, who attended his first practice session with the team at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai, expressed that the franchise is aiming for nothing short of winning the title.

    “We want to go one step further this year and that’s the Delhi Capitals’ team goal. We have the players to win the title. We were very close last year and the plus point for this season is that most of the players such as Rishabh Pant have been playing a lot of cricket. They have been in touch with the game and therefore they are in good rhythm going into the IPL,” said the 40-year-old in an official Delhi Capitals release.

    The assistant coach also added that the Delhi Capitals focussed on taking catches under lights during their practice session on Saturday.

    “The players have been carrying out batting and bowling drills in the last few days. As a coaching group, we decided to focus on fielding skills in today’s practice session. The players took some catches under lights. It was a great session. I got to meet many young players in the team and the experienced ones as well. I had a good chat with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane,” he added.

    Delhi Capitals will begin their IPL 2021 campaign against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 10.

  • Players are in good rhythm, we will look to go one up: DC assistant coach Mohammad Kaif

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Delhi Capitals assistant coach Mohammad Kaif said most of his players, including new skipper Rishabh Pant, are in good rhythm going into the IPL as they aim to go one better compared to last time when Mumbai Indians dashed their dreams of a maiden title.

    “We want to go one step further this year and that’s the Delhi Capitals team goal. We have the players to win the title,” said Kaif, who attended his first practice session with the team at the Cricket Club of India here on Saturday.

    “We were very close last year and the plus point for this season is that most of the players such as Rishabh Pant have been playing a lot of cricket.

    “They have been in touch with the game and therefore they are in good rhythm going into the IPL.” Delhi boasts of the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Ishant Sharma and overseas players such as Steve Smith, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje– all of whom have played some cricket or the other in the last few months.

    The 40-year-old said Kaif said the team focussed on taking catches under lights during their practice session on Saturday.

    “The players have been carrying out batting and bowling drills in the last few days. As a coaching group we decided to focus on fielding skills in today’s practice session.

    “The players took some catches under lights. It was a great session. I got to meet many young players in the team and the experienced ones as well. I had a good chat with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane.”

    Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting will be attending his first training session after completing his quarantine period.

    “I am looking forward to meeting Ricky in person. I have been in touch with him on the phone. We will chalk out a training plan with Ponting for the upcoming days once he joins the team on the field,” Kaif said.

    Delhi Capitals will start their IPL 2021 campaign against Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai on April 10.

  • Back at his old franchise, Delhi Capitals pacer Umesh Yadav ready for IPL 2021

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Out of mandatory seven-day quarantine, India and Delhi Capitals fast bowler Umesh Yadav is ready to hit the deck as he returns to be with the familiar faces at his old franchise in the Indian Premier League, beginning on April 9.

    The 33-year-old Yadav, who started his IPL career with the Delhi franchise, returned to the side after being acquired for his base price of Rs 1 crore in the auction in February.

    “After being in quarantine for one week, it was great to step onto the ground and spend some time with the boys,” Yadav said.

    “I just want to do well whenever I have the ball in my hand. I will definitely give my best for my team and keep getting better everyday,” he said in a DC release.

    Yadav, who has picked up 119 wickets in 121 IPL matches, said he felt at home in the Delhi Capitals camp.

    “I started my IPL career with the Delhi team, so the Delhi franchise feels like home to me. I know a lot of players in the team. I have been playing with the likes of Ishant Sharma, Axar Patel and Rishabh Pant for quite some time.

    “It doesn’t feel like I am joining a new team. I am already feeling very comfortable in the Delhi Capitals camp,” said Yadav.

    He said he really enjoyed his first practice session with the Delhi Capitals at the Cricket Club of India.

  • IPL 2021: Batted for the first time in 20 days, says Ajinkya Rahane after first training session

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: A few members of the Delhi Capitals squad, who have assembled in Mumbai, attended their first practice session at the Cricket Club of India on Tuesday.

    After being in quarantine for a week, the players with the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Amit Mishra got an opportunity to test their skills and find their groove ahead of the 2021 edition of the IPL.

    “I batted for the first time in 20 days. We came out after being in quarantine for seven days, so I was just looking to get into the groove and get into a good rhythm. And as we get closer to the tournament, it will be all about maintaining that good rhythm and momentum,” Rahane said in an official statement released by the franchise.

    Leg-spinner Mishra expressed that everyone looked terrific during the team’s first practice session. “All the boys are looking good here on the field. They are all ready to put in the hard yards and it’s nice to see the youngsters practicing hard as well,” he said.

    The 38-year-old added that apart from honing his bowling prowess, he is focussing on improving his batting as well, “I am working on my batting. The coaches have also told me to keep practicing my batting as there might be situations in matches when I will have to string partnerships of 25-30 runs. We need to be ready for everything. Basically, if I am batting with a recognised batsman then I should focus on taking singles and giving the strike to my partner.”

    On Tuesday, Delhi Capitals appointed Rishabh Pant as the captain of the side for the upcoming season of the IPL. The wicket-keeper batsman will step in as skipper for the 14th edition of the tournament, for the injured Shreyas Iyer, who had hurt his left shoulder during the recently concluded India-England ODI series.

    Off late, Pant has been in remarkable form and he has given some match-winning performances in the series against Australia and England. Of all his performances, the ones in Brisbane (fourth Test against Australia) and Ahmedabad (fourth Test against England) stand out.

    On his new role, Pant in a statement said, “Delhi is where I grew up, and where my IPL journey began six years ago. To lead this team one day is a dream I’ve always harboured. And today, as that dream comes true, I feel humbled. I am truly grateful, especially to our team owners, who considered me capable enough for this role. With an amazing coaching staff, and a plethora of accomplished seniors around me, I can’t wait to give my absolute best for Delhi Capitals.”

    Delhi Capitals will begin their IPL 2021 campaign against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 10. 

  • Rishabh Pant named Delhi Capitals captain for IPL 2021

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Star India batsman Rishabh Pant was on Tuesday named captain of Delhi Capitals in place of an injured Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming Indian Premier League season beginning on April 9.

    Iyer has been ruled out of the IPL after injuring his left shoulder during the recently-concluded India-England ODI series.

    “Under Shreyas’ captaincy, our team reached newer heights, and he is going to be missed immensely. In his absence, the franchise has collectively picked Rishabh to lead the team this year,” DC Chairman and co-owner Kiran Kumar Gandhi said in a release.

    “While it has come under unfortunate circumstances, it is a tremendous opportunity for him to grow further. I wish him all the best in his new role.”

    This will be 23-year-old Pant’s debut as IPL captain.

    The wicketkeeper-batsman has captained Delhi’s state team in the past.

    “Delhi is where I grew up, and where my IPL journey began six years ago. To lead this team one day is a dream I’ve always harboured. And today, as that dream comes true, I feel humbled,” Pant said.

    “I am truly grateful, especially to our team owners, who considered me capable enough for this role. With an amazing coaching staff, and a plethora of accomplished seniors around me, I can’t wait to give my absolute best for Delhi Capitals.”

    Pant was one of the architects of India’s historic 2-1 Test series win in Australia in January.

    He then played a big role in India’s 3-1 Test series win against England, scoring 270 runs from six innings with the help of a century.

    Pant also returned to India’s white-ball team against England.

    After a decent outing in the T20 Internationals, he was in cracking form in the ODI series, hitting 77 and 78 in the two matches he played.

    Iyer described Pant as the best player to lead the Delhi side.

    “When I sustained the shoulder injury, and Delhi Capitals needed a leader for this edition of the IPL, I had no doubt that Rishabh would be the best man for the job,” he said.

    “He has all my good wishes to make amazing things happen with our absolutely incredible team. I’m going to miss the team tremendously, and will be cheering for them throughout.”

    Head coach Ricky Ponting said Pant’s success in the series against Australia and England will give him the confidence needed to take on the new role.

    “This is a tremendous opportunity for young Rishabh, who is coming off successful stints against Australia and England which will no doubt give him the confidence needed to take on a new role that comes with a lot more responsibility,” the former Australian captain said.

    “The coaching group is excited to work with him, and we can’t wait for the season to get started.”

    Co-owner Parth Jindal said Pant embodies DC’s passionate and fearless brand of cricket.

    “There is no doubt that Shreyas Iyer’s leadership and batting will be missed this year, and we hope to see him back on the field soon,” Jindal said.

    “Delhi Capitals as a team plays a passionate and fearless brand of cricket, and Rishabh Pant embodies that best. The Delhi team has played an important role in his growth as a cricketer, just like he has played an equally important role in the growth of the Delhi team.”

    The Delhi Capitals will take on Chennai Super Kings in their first match of the IPL 2021 season, at the Wankhede Stadium, on April 10.

    Delhi Capitals finished as runners-up in the last edition of the IPL, losing to Mumbai Indians in the final.

  • Chris Woakes would choose IPL final over Test at home

    By PTI
    LONDON: England all-rounder Chris Woakes would opt to miss a Test at home should his IPL team Delhi Capitals make the league’s final in May as “opportunities” like that won’t come easy in his quest to be selected for this year’s T20 World Cup in India.

    Woakes was retained by DC despite him pulling out of the last edition due to family reasons.

    He was included in the England squad for the Test series against India but went home after the third game as part of the team’s rotation policy without playing a single game.

    Delhi had reached the IPL finals in UAE last year and if the team can repeat the show, Woakes may miss the first Test against New Zealand on June 2 at the Lord’s.

    The IPL final is scheduled on May 30.

    “If I’m not in the Delhi XI, I’ll speak to Ricky (Ponting) and the powers-that-be. Of course I want to play at Lord’s, my record there (27 wickets at 11 runs apiece, a career-best 137 with the bat) speaks for itself. But those Tests were arranged late,” the 32-year-old told ‘The Guardian’.

    Woakes will be joining his Delhi teammates in Mumbai on Sunday ahead of the IPL beginning on April 9 in Chennai. He hasn’t been a part of England’s T20 squad since 2015.

    “England want us to broaden our horizons in the IPL and, at this stage of my career, these opportunities won’t keep coming up. If it means missing a Test, that unfortunately might be the case.

    “The players are in an awkward position, though. This summer is big, especially with a Test series against India to follow.”

    Woakes said he eager to repay the faith that Delhi has shown in him.

    “Delhi have been loyal to me and I want to repay that. It’s my third season in the IPL overall (after spells with Kolkata and Bangalore) and I always come back a better cricketer,” Woakes said.

    Woakes said he is honing his death bowling skills and also working on his power-hitting to make it to the T20 World Cup squad to be held in India later in the year.

    “I don’t want to rule out the T20 World Cup at all, I still see myself as a three-format cricketer,” he said.

    “I’m looking to work on my variations, death bowling and explore some power-hitting options. Hopefully, I can give Morgs (captain Eoin Morgan) and England a reminder of what I can do.”

    Talking about missing the chance to play against India in the Test series, Woakes said it was a bitter pill to swallow.

    “In India, the balance of the team with two spinners made it tricky. But missing the pink-ball Test, that was a bit of a kick in the teeth. Four seamers and I still didn’t get a look-in.

    “That just about summed up my winter, really. And I feel I made strides in my last few Tests overseas. It’s easy to get pigeonholed but I know I’ve improved here.”

    India would be touring England for a five-Test series starting August 4.

  • IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals’ Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Amit Mishra arrive in Mumbai

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: A few members of the Delhi Capitals’ squad, including pacers Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav, leg-spinner Amit Mishra and all-rounder Lalit Yadav have assembled at the team hotel in Mumbai.

    The players arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday and they will now undergo quarantine until March 30.

    Indian Premier League 13 runners-up Delhi Capitals will kickstart their preparations for the upcoming season of the cash-rich league from March 30 with the tournament set to begin on April 9.

    Defending champions Mumbai Indians will play Royal Challengers Bangalore in the season opener.

    Speaking to ANI, DC CEO Vinod Bisht had earlier said the idea to delay the camp was to give the cricketers — currently playing international or domestic cricket — enough time to freshen up and spend some time with their families before they enter the bio-bubble.

    “We intentionally delayed our camp firstly because of the evolving scenario (COVID-19), secondly, compared to last season, a lot of cricket has happened and our players are on the move. So we said let them get some rest and spend time with the family because they are again going to be in the bubble. At the moment we are tentatively planning to get into our bubble on 23rd and so we should be out to start our camp by 30th of the month,” he had said.

    While the DC outfit already has a quality batting line-up, the inclusion of the likes of Smith might create a scenario wherein some of the big names will have to warm the bench. But the CEO believes all selection calls will be made by the team management and a good squad means players will be on their toes.

    “It is a good problem to have, too many big names. I know coaches will certainly have their bags full but like I said, it is a good problem to have. Even if someone is on the bench, depending on the performances at that point, coaches will take decisions. Even the first XI will always know there is a good player on the bench so they need to perform better and be on their toes. It is a healthy competition that we will have,” he said.