Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting says it will take a very good player to knock Rishabh Pant off the Indian team.
Assured of a play-off berth, Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to quickly recover from their loss in the previous game and finish the league phase on a high when they take on table-toppers Delhi Capitals in their final IPL round-robin game in Dubai on Friday.
A big win on Saturday will not only will boost Delhi's morale after the 80-run hammering at the hands of CSK but it could also propel the side to the second position in the eight-team standings.
The match, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, will also be a face-off between skippers KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, both seen as future India captaincy material.
A disappointed Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant says he felt that Tim David nicked the first delivery he faced, but he did not go for the review as most of his teammates inside the circle were not convinced. His decision cost them a place in the play-offs of IPL 2022, as Mumbai Indians went on to win Saturday's match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai by five wickets.
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Delhi promoted all-rounder Lalit Yadav and Pant said the team management is trying to groom him.
Rajasthan will take inspiration from their two big wins in Sharjah, to turn things around against a dominant Delhi.
They stand on the opposite ends of IPL's success spectrum but there is little to separate between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the tournament's 13th edition as they head into a blockbuster Qualifier 1 match, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Rishabh Pant is currently recovering after undergoing treatment for his injuries.
Images from the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, in Chennai, on Tuesday.
Bolstered by the arrival of Ben Stokes, Rajasthan Royals will hope for a better showing from its misfiring top order as they try to settle scores against second-placed Delhi Capitals in their return leg IPL match, in Dubai, on Wednesday.
The Punjab bowlers led by Kagiso Rabada have fared well. But the likes of Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep Singh along with Rahul Chahar, who has nine wickets, would need to be on the money.
Images from the IPL 2024 match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede in Mumbai on Sunday.
Parth Jindal revealed that their skipper Rishabh Pant wanted to have the pacer in the team.
Before Pant it was Multan Sultans's Pakistan batter Usman Khan who held the record.
Rahul and Pant, both match-winners in their own rights even with the bat, will like to seize the initiative in these early rounds.
Delhi Capitals have never reached the IPL final, never made the top-two, and ventured into the top-four for the first time since 2012.
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Having suffered back-to-back defeats against Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals will aim to get back to winning ways against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Azharuddin, who played 334 ODIs and 99 Tests for India, on Wednesday said he won't be surprised if selectors see Pant as an option for Indian captaincy in the near future.
Ricky Ponting + Sourav Ganguly + Shreyas Iyer + Kagiso Rabada + Rishabh Pant + Shikhar Dhawan + consistent team selection. Dhruv Munjal on how Delhi Capitals achieved a remarkable turnaround in IPL 2019.
Mark Wood and Alzarri Joseph scarred the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan in Delhi's line-up in the first two games. Now, when these talented but low on confidence willow wielders face an attack comprising Trent Boult, KM Asif and Jason Holder they will have to negotiate speeds of mid-130 kmph.
Images from Monday's Indian Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals, in Abu Dhabi.
Images from Tuesday's IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals, in Abu Dhabi.
Dhawan said that skipper Rishabh Pant 'did quite well' in his first game as team's leader
Delhi Capitals' bowling unit will have to punch above its weight against an in-form Lucknow Super Giants, who will start as overwhelming favourites in an Indian Premier League match in Lucknow on Friday.
In Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting's Indian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup, Rishabh Pant will feature 'every day of the week'.
Capitals were the best team in the league and their 20-point finish at the group stage was an indication of their consistent performances which didn't dip due to the COVID-19 forced break. CSK, over the years, have been in final eight times and won on three occasions which speak volumes of the team's ability to lift their game just when it's required most.
Pant returned to competitive cricket in this IPL after recovering from a life-threatening road mishap in December 2022, and this was his first fifty in three games this season.
'Thank you Delhi Capitals for showing faith in me. I will give my 100 percent each and every day and hopefully we will cross the line this year.'
LSG's lead pacer picked two wickets in his very first over, taking out DC opener Jake Fraser-McGurk (1) and then dismissing No 3 batter Abhishek Porel for a duck.
Pant was appointed as the Delhi Capitals skipper following the injury to regular captain Shreyas Iyer,
Delhi Capitals annihilated Lucknow Super Giants by eight wickets in an IPL match in Lucknow on Tuesday.
Warner sent out a special message for the Delhi franchise's regular captain, who is currently undergoing rehab and recovery.
'I had no doubt that Rishabh would be the best man for the job.'
Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting is convinced that the responsibility of captaincy will make swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant an even better player in the upcoming IPL.
With 288 runs at a strike rate of 225, Nicholas Pooran is the top run-getter in IPL 2025, while Mohammed Siraj has been brilliant in Powerplay overs with 10 wickets in five games.
Rishabh Pant said it "felt special" when Sourav Ganguly lifted him to celebrate the youngster's blistering 78 that steered Delhi Capitals to a six-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals and the pole position in the IPL.
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