IPL 2021: Ricky Ponting names his list of players to watch out for this season

IPL 2021: Ricky Ponting names his players to watch out for this season: One match down, a whole IPL season to go. A lot of players– some new and some veterans. Ahead of the clash between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals, Ricky Ponting, Head Coach of Delhi Capitals chooses his list of players to watch out for in this season. The former Aussie captain has revealed seven players from other teams he thinks are the most lethal ones this season.

IPL 2021: Ricky Ponting names his list of players to watch out for this season: Suresh Raina, Chennai Super Kings

Experience, finesse and quality are qualities that make Suresh Raina the cricketer that he is. According to Ponting, he is capable of being one of the top scorers in the game.

“He’s one of the leading run-scorers in IPL history and he plays a really important role for Chennai Super Kings in the middle order. Just his experience and the partnerships that him and Dhoni and Faf…have created have been a reason the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has been one of the really powerful teams in IPL history.

“I’ve had a look at his social media, he looks really fit…Dhoni probably didn’t have the impact late in games last year that we’ve been accustomed to. So I think they’ll try and strengthen their five, six, seven area with Raina and Dhoni there together,” Ponting told cricket.com.au in an interview.

IPL 2021: Ricky Ponting names his list of players to watch out for this season: Varun Chakravarthy, KKR

Varun Chakravarty made his name while playing from KKR’s side. The spinner performed well last year and managed to catch the eyes of the former Aussie Captain. Chakravarty’s variations are the main reason why Ponting thinks he could be dangerous this season.

“He’s a classic mystery spinner…he bowls an off-spinner, he bowls a googly, he bowls a leg-spinner and he bowls a carrom ball that he flicks out the front of his hand. So he’s got the variations on his deliveries, but he’s also got a lot of pace variations as well. So he’ll start in the mid-80s (kph) with his speed and he can push it up to 110kph with the quicker one,” Ponting said. 

IPL 2021: Ricky Ponting names his list of players to watch out for this season: Nicholas Pooran, Punjab Kings

West Indies’ batsman Nicholas Pooran made it to Ponting’s list for this year. Pooran has fiery batting power and the ability to score. Ricky Ponting thinks he can top the batting charts in IPL 2021.

“When you’ve got (a player like Pooran) with that much power and you’ve got a game where you can score 360 degrees, that’s where these guys become worth their weight in gold. If Pooran bats in the top four this year, I won’t be surprised if we’re seeing him as one of the leading run-scorers in the tournament.”

IPL 2021: Ricky Ponting names his list of players to watch out for this season: Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians

Having already made a name for himself, Hardik Pandya is not a new name in the list of favourites, Ponting believes Hardik Pandya is likely to be an even bigger asset for Mumbai Indians because of his all-round abilities.

“He’s just an out-and-out power player now and he’s probably 75 kilos ringing wet, but he can bowl 140kph and he’s one of the best strikers of the cricket ball going around – he’s just a complete all-round package,” Ponting told the same website.

IPL 2021: Ricky Ponting names his list of players to watch out for this season: Devdutt Padikkal,  Royal Challengers Bangalore

Even though RCB has a star studded line up with Captain Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Glenn Maxwell, Ponting thinks that Devdutt Padikkal will be a treat to watch during the IPL 2021.

“The thing about Padikkal is, as with most left-handers, if you give him any width…he is very strong through the off-side, but then if you get a little bit straight he’s got this pick up shot like Shikhar Dhawan and he’ll flick it over mid-wicket, and he actually pulls quite well for an Indian batter,” Ponting added in the interview.

IPL 2021: Ricky Ponting names his list of players to watch out for this season: T Natarajan, Sunrisers Hyderabad

Thangarasu Natarajan caught the eyes of many because of his season last year in the previous edition of the IPL and also bowling brilliantly in Australia. Ponting has found a new liking for his ability to bowl yorkers.

“He’s not really a noted new ball bowler, the Sunrisers were using him for one over (in the Powerplay), one in the middle overs, and then two at the death, executing those yorkers probably as well as anyone in the tournament…Natarajan’s going to be a big player for them this year again.”

IPL 2021: Ricky Ponting names his list of players to watch out for this season: Rahul Tewatia, Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals’ Rahul Tewatia has become a household name because of his ability to score from the bat. However, Ponting saw him from close quarters at Delhi Capitals camp and thinks his hard work is commendable. 

“It’s his batting that he’s worked exceptionally hard on in the last couple of years. He’s worked on his backlift and tried to become much more of a power hitter…He’s someone that I take a bit of pride in watching actually, because I did a lot of work with him with his batting,” Ponting added.