Delhi Capitals are in a tight race for the IPL 2022 playoffs. Meanwhile, Ricky Ponting is excited about Saturday's deciding clash against Mumbai Indians.
Match 69 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 will see Delhi Capitals (DC) locking horns against record five-time former champion Mumbai Indians (MI). The game occurs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday. It will be a crucial match for DC, as it is in the playoffs race, and a win by a could guarantee its place in the same. However, a defeat would knock it out, thus aiding Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Meanwhile, DC head coach Ricky Ponting is excited about the same and wishes to see what the day holds for his side, besides hoping to play in the tournament for a week more.
Speaking to DC on Friday, Ponting noted, "I have just got the sense that the environment within the group has been a little different in the last couple of weeks, and players need to take full credit for that. As a coaching group, we'll look to get the players well prepared for their next challenge, and it's certainly a challenge that we are looking forward to. I am very excited about what Saturday holds for us, and hopefully, we've got another week of cricket to play after that."
"I have full confidence in the players that they will have an excellent game on Saturday. In the season, we strung back-to-back wins together for the first time [following the win vs Punjab Kings in the last game]. It's been an up and down season for us, but we've played some good cricket. I always talk about playing our best cricket at the business end of the tournament and peaking at the right time. I feel that the boys are about to do that," added Ponting.
Ponting concluded by speaking on the senior players in the side needing to step up, as he considered, "Davey [David Warner] has done a perfect job at the top of the order. We have also seen how destructive Mitchell Marsh can be at the number three slot. And among the bowlers, Kuldeep has been exceptional, and Axar has been bowling economically. Shardul has shown good form in the recent matches. There are some good signs as far as our senior players are concerned, and going into big games, you need your more experienced players to step up."