Delhi Capitals assistant coach Matthew Mott agreed that their campaign lost track in the second half of the IPL season but they still have enough motivation to end on a high, with a win over Punjab Kings in their final league match in Jaipur on Saturday.
Reflecting on DC's campaign, Mott said, “There's still plenty of motivation (to play this last game). Yes, we had a disappointing end to what was an encouraging campaign.
"We obviously came out of the box in the early stage, won a lot of games early, but the second half has been patchy. So, I think it's an opportunity for us to sign off on a positive note.”
"I think throughout the second half of the campaign, we have not had the luck that we had in the first four or five games, which can often be the case in T20s," he added.
Talking about Axar Patel's availability, the 51-year-old said, “The honest answer is I don't fully know. He's not training today. But, we'll find out when we get back there today.
"Obviously, he wasn't well the other day. He's had a pretty rugged time with a few different little niggle and injuries. I'm sure he's motivated to come out and play, but we'll probably know a little bit more tonight when we go back and see the medical stuff," Mott said.
On the performance of other Indians, Mott said, “Samir (Rizvi) in the last game looked really good. Abhishek Porel has played some really good counter-punching knocks and probably his next step is turning them into match-winning contributions. But throughout our group is exciting and talented.”
Mott lavished praise on Indian young talent like Vipraj Nigam.
“Someone like Vipraj (Nigam) who came under the radar this year right from the first match, played pivotal innings with the bat. I thought he was magnificent the other day when he came out and nearly turned the game. He's been entrusted with big overs, power play overs and crucial overs.”
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