Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant shares his first impression of the new-look side and gears up to decide each player's role for IPL 2022.
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Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant had his first assessment of the new-look franchise on Sunday. The capital franchise roped in some crucial players in the form of David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, and Kuldeep Yadav during the IPL mega auction in Bengaluru. The IPL 2020 runners-up retained Pant for Rs. 16 crores, Axar Patel for Rs. 9 crores, Prithvi Shaw for Rs. 7.5 crores and Anrich Nortje for Rs. 6.50 crores as their core players.
Pant-led Delhi Capitals to six wins out of eight matches in IPL 2021 before the tournament was indefinitely suspended due to Covid-19 breach. The table-toppers later lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the qualifier 1 and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the qualifier 2 of the second-phase held in UAE to finish at the third spot.
However, Pant is looking to introduce the new players and make them familiar with the team environment, ahead of the grueling season. He will later set them specific roles for IPL 2022.
“It seems like the team has been made for the first time. I observed every player during my first practice session with the team and it looks like everybody is in a good frame of mind. Everybody is enjoying each other’s company,” said Pant in an official release issued by Delhi Capitals.
“At the moment, we are trying to understand what do the new players need during nets sessions. We are discussing the roles the players can take up during matches and the kind of team environment we would like to set up. We have spoken to the new players about the team environment we’ve had in the last few years.”
READ MORE: IPL 2022 Schedule: Delhi Capitals Full Schedule
Pant was also seen chatting with former Australia captain and coach Ricky Ponting during the training session. He highlighted that Ponting always brings out the best from his players.
“It’s always special meeting Ricky Ponting. Whenever I meet him, it feels like I am meeting a family member. And he always brings the energy out of every player on the field. Everyone looks up to him and waits for him to say something different.”
Delhi Capitals Squad: Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, Rishabh Pant (c), Axar Patel, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin Hebbar, Sarfaraz Khan, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, KS Bharat, Mandeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Chetan Sakariya, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Yash Dhull, Rovman Powell, Pravin Dubey, Lungi Ngidi, Tim Seifert, Vicky Ostwal.
