Delhi Capitals Skipper Shreyas Iyer is confident of his team performance ahead of their opener against Mumbai Indians today.
They start their 12th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against the hosts Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. The JSW and GMR co-owned franchise is looking to start afresh this season after undergoing a complete overhaul, and their Head Coach Ricky Ponting feels that their opening match will be the most important one of the new season.
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The Australian legend, along with Captain of the team, Shreyas Iyer, spoke to the media here on Saturday ahead of their first match of IPL 2019.
Speaking on his team’s new look this season, Delhi Capitals’ Head Coach Ricky Ponting said, “The whole feel and vibe around the franchise has been really positive. We have had a whole re-branding and we start now with the new colours. Everything about the new season feels very fresh and our preparation has been fantastic coming into this game.”
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“The time leading into the first game is probably the hardest time that you have to manage when we put it in context with the entire IPL season. For example, we have had foreign players who have just joined us in the past couple of days, and it is not ideal when you are trying to create a winning culture within the team. It is quite difficult to have a lot of time before we go into any season, and that is one of the challenges that all the teams face in the IPL,” said the 44-year-old.
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Asked about how Team Advisor Sourav Ganguly has helped the team, Captain Shreyas Iyer said that he is very happy to have a former player of the veteran’s calibre around the team.
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“He is a legend of Indian cricket and has led the Indian team to major victories over the years. His experience is something that we can bank on and it will definitely help the team this season in making the correct decisions and strategies,” said Iyer.
For the record, Delhi Capitals beat the Mumbai Indians in their two meetings last season.
Looking ahead to the match against the Mumbai-based franchise, Shreyas said, “We have got a real good mix of guys in all the departments and going into the first game, we are really confident of starting well against a strong Mumbai Indians side. It is going to be a crucial match for us but we go into it with complete belief in ourselves and our abilities.”
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Quizzed on whether there will be added pressure on the top-order Indian batters, Ponting said, “We have a lot of depth in our squad in the batting department. Our middle-order is also made up of strong, experienced players who have done well previously in the IPL.”
“So I don’t think there is any extra added pressure on our Indian batsmen. I do believe that we have the best top-order Indian batsmen in our team who are all match winners and I am really looking forward to them doing well in the tournament.”