News Analysis India

Tag: Indian Premier League 2021

  • 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.

  • Shahrukh Khan reminds me a bit of Kieron Pollard, says Punjab Kings head coach Anil Kumble

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Punjab Kings head coach Anil Kumble has lavished praise on Tamil Nadu cricketer Shahrukh Khan and compared the swashbuckling batsman to West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard.

    Pollard, who plays for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is one of the most dangerous batsmen in the shortest format of the game. Kumble feels the rookie has a similar skill set as that of Pollard.

    “He (Shahrukh ) reminds me a bit of Pollard actually. When I was with Mumbai Indians, Pollard in the nets was dangerous. I used to bowl a bit (in the nets), and the first thing I used to tell him was don’t hit straight,” Kumble said in a video posted on Punjab Kings’ Twitter.

    “Here I’m not even trying. I’m a lot older now, and the body doesn’t take the bowling anymore. So, I’m not going to bowl at Shahrukh, for sure,” he added.

    Uncapped Shahrukh was bagged by Punjab Kings in the IPL mini-auction in February. Shahrukh had his base price of Rs 20 lakh but he went to Punjab Kings for Rs 5.25 crore. Delhi Capitals, RCB, and Punjab Kings all made the bids for him, but in the end, the winning bid was made by Punjab Kings.

    Shahrukh was in remarkable form in this year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and he had a major hand in Tamil Nadu winning the title for the second time.

    Meanwhile, when it comes to bowling, the pace-bowling attack of Punjab Kings has a classy look to it with Mohammad Shami leading the pack in the company of Chris Jordan, Jhye Richardson, Arshdeep Singh and Riley Meredith.

    The spin-attack will be headed by U19 World Cup star Ravi Bishnoi while Murugan Ashwin and Saurabh Kumar are also in the squad to extend their support. Punjab Kings will play against Rajasthan Royals in their first game on April 12 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

  • 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.

  • 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.