The Delhi Capitals, who finished second last year, are aiming to go a step forward this year and win their first Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy, according to assistant coach Mohammad Kaif. On Saturday, the former India batsman had his first practise session with the team and claims they have the talent to break their title drought this year. After daily skipper Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the IPL 2021 due to injury, the Delhi-based franchise has handed over the captaincy to Rishabh Pant for the coming season.
“This year, we want to take things a little forward, and that is the Delhi Capitals’ team target. We have the talent to win the championship. Last year, we were really close, and this season’s advantage is that most of the players, such as Rishabh Pant, have played a lot of cricket. They’ve been paying attention to the game, and as a result, they’re in good form heading into the IPL “In a press release issued in Washington, DC, Kaif said.
Kaif oversaw the team’s practise session at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai in the absence of head coach Ricky Ponting, who is also in quarantine.
Kaif, who was known for his agility as a player, wanted to bring players’ catching abilities to the test by letting them catch balls under the spotlight. Former batsman Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin were among the young players who impressed the 40-year-old former batsman.
“In recent days, the players have been doing batting and bowling drills. Today’s practise session, as a coaching party, we agreed to concentrate on fielding skills. Under the cameras, the players made some catches. It was a fantastic meeting. I got to know a lot of the team’s new players, as well as some of the more seasoned ones. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane were nice to talk to “According to sources, Kaif said
On April 10, the Delhi Capitals will kick off their IPL 2021 campaign at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium against the three-time champion Chennai Super Kings.