Hopefully, we can repeat what we did in the UAE last time: Delhi Capitals' pacer Anrich Nortje

With the second phase of the VIVO IPL 2021 season about to begin, Delhi Capitals will start from the top spot. Delhi have won six of their eight matches and have lost only twice in the first phase of the IPL. The team’s pacer Anrich Nortje, who picked up 22 wickets in 16 matches in his first IPL season in 2020 and helped his team reach the final, is looking forward to the remainder of the games in the league. Nortje claimed that he will be looking to take it match by match in the second half of the IPL season in the UAE.  “It was here where things started to happen for me in the IPL, but I am looking to take it match by match this season. There’s a lot coming up, even after the IPL. We have to try and remember what we did here the last time we were here and try and implement that again. Hopefully, we can repeat what we did in the UAE the last time we were here,” said the 27-year-old, as per a Delhi Capitals press release.

The fast bowler believes that the second half of the IPL 2021 season will be completely different from the first half. He added: “What worked at one place is not going to work at another place so we have to take it game by game. The upcoming games in the UAE are going to be completely different from the games we had earlier in the season. Maybe teams will field different strategies in the second half of the tournament. We have to be switched on now and just be ready.”

‘We have a chance to acclimatize to the conditions’

Nortje also feels that playing the IPL before the T20 World Cup in the UAE is definitely a big advantage for all T20I players. “It’s definitely a massive advantage to play the IPL before the T20 World Cup. We have a chance to acclimatize to the conditions and get first-hand experience of the kind of wickets here in the UAE,” he added.

“The sooner we get the information about the kind of wickets here, the better it will be for all of us. I think each team is looking to assess everything as much as possible, but, firstly we have to assess the conditions for the IPL as it certainly is a big tournament in itself and then we will get to the T20 World Cup,” said the fast bowler.

‘I think every team has an equal chance of doing well’

Table toppers Delhi Capitals are set to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on 22 September after the remainder of the IPL season resumes. Despite Delhi being on top of the table, Amit Mishra feels that all teams will have to start afresh when the season resumes this month. He elaborated: “We are at the top of the table right now, but we have to start afresh. We have to set our strategies again. I think every team has an equal chance of doing well now since we are all re-starting the tournament. We are playing the second half of the IPL in a different country, so we have to devise our strategies according to the conditions here in the UAE.”

The leg-spinner added that the Delhi Capitals will try to build on the momentum they had gained in the first half of the season. “We have been doing well in the last two seasons and the performances have come because of a collective effort. From coaches to selectors to players, everyone should be credited for Delhi Capitals’ progress as a team in the last few years. We will try to build on our momentum from the first half of the IPL 2021 season and take one match at a time once the season resumes,” said the 38-year-old.