DC head coach Ricky Ponting
Delhi Capitals' hopes of lifting their maiden title were shattered after they were handed a five-wicket drubbing by defending champions Mumbai Indians on Tuesday. After posting a 156-run total in the summit clash of the IPL 2020 at Dubai International Stadium, Shreyas Iyer's men were outdone by MI's experience and a robust batting line-up.
Skipper Rohit Sharma, leading from the front, smashed 68 off 51 deliveries to steer MI to their fifth IPL trophy. Though the Delhi franchise failed to impress in the vital clash, there have been plenty of positives for DC this season.
Along with the emergence of 25-year-old Shreyas as a leader, the Delhi camp was bolstered by the form of Shikhar Dhawan and Kagiso Rabada. While Dhawan finished the tournament as the second-highest run-getter, Rabada bagged the Purple Cap by scalping 30 wickets.
DC also had put up an impressive performance last year, making it to the playoffs. They bettered it by booking a finals berth this year. Reflecting on his journey with the franchise, DC head coach expressed his desire to work with Shreyas a bit more.
“Iyer is a brilliant player, captain and person. He’s definitely grown in stature in the last 12 months. Hopefully, we can work together a bit more in the future,” Ponting said after DC's defeat.
After losing the first Qualifier, Capitals had made a strong return by defeating SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the second one. However, they couldn't continue the winning momentum in the final. Ponting also heaped praise on MI for defeating DC on four occasions this season.
“MI have been the best team, they’ve beaten us 4 times. Being coach it’s a little frustrating in the dugout but at the end of the day I’m really proud of the job the boys have done,” Ponting further said.
“We probably had 3.5 weeks of prep before the tournament, so we had a little too much preparation. We had a really challenging tour, I was sceptical about leaving Australia but the organizers have done a terrific job. I think we have the youngest squad in the tournament and I’m extremely proud of them," he added.
