IPL 2023: 'Ponting has to take credit for losses as well' - Sehwag lashes out post-DC's fifth season defeat

It has been a terrible start to the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) for Delhi Capitals (DC), having suffered five opening losses. Its most recent defeat came on Sunday to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. It failed to get the job done even while chasing a below-par target.

DC was already dealt a severe blow before IPL 2023 got underway as skipper-cum-wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was ruled out for the whole season. He continues to recover from his injuries after being involved in a horrible car accident last December. While stand-in captain David Warner has struggled with his leadership abilities, legendary former Indian and Delhi opener Virender Sehwag has urged Ricky Ponting to own up for the failures rather than only taking credit for victories.

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Discussing with Cricbuzz, Sehwag noted, "I believe I said before that Punjab has passed the axe to Delhi. So now, the axe has arrived in Delhi. When a team loses, the coaches are given credit. So, they should also be held accountable when the side fails. Even though we said so many times that Ponting had done a brilliant job and taken the team to the final, besides reaching the playoffs almost every year now. He carried all those distinctions. Now, he must also take the blame for this situation."

"This is not Team Indiam, where credit is taken for the wins, and someone else is reprimanded for the beatings. There are zero roles in an IPL team for the coaches. The main obligation is man-management and to provide confidence to the players. Yet, in the end, a coach is credited only when the side performs well, which Delhi is yet to achieve. I feel Delhi has arrived at a point where it is confused about what it should do to reverse its luck," concluded Sehwag.