NEW DELHI: Following a disheartening 106-run defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match, Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting voiced his dismay over the team’s lacklustre display, particularly highlighting their subpar bowling performance and sluggish over-rate.
“I was almost embarrassed with our first half of the game today – to concede that many runs. It took us two hours as well to bowl our overs, so we were two overs behind again, which means the guys bowling the last two overs only get to bowl with four fielders outside the circle,” Ponting remarked during the post-match press conference.

Ponting emphasized the need for immediate rectification of the team’s shortcomings, asserting, “There are a lot of things that happened in this game that are unacceptable; we have to fix [them] immediately to go forward in this tournament.”

Reflecting on KKR’s dominant performance, Ponting acknowledged their relentless approach throughout the game, particularly in the powerplay overs, which set the tone for their commanding victory.
“They got off to a flying start in the powerplay. They were around 90 runs after six overs. That phase is not ideal; if that happens at the start of the game, then you are always trying to find your way back into the game and they did not allow us to do that today. They were relentless. We have got to be very critical on ourselves,” Ponting commented on KKR’s performance.

Addressing concerns over Rishabh Pant‘s physical condition during the match, Ponting downplayed the incident, attributing it to potential tiredness or cramping. He commended Pant’s batting prowess and highlighted the importance of such situations in bolstering the skipper’s confidence.
“Pleased for him, what he did with the bat. A situation like that, where he had to go out and attack from the start is probably a scenario that he needed just to get some confidence back. He is actually had two good games with the bat now which is great,” Ponting remarked on Pant’s performance.
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Regarding missed opportunities in taking DRS calls, Ponting acknowledged the lapses and highlighted the need for improved communication within the team.
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“Narine was missed and then Shreyas Iyer was missed later on. I am not sure what happened there. Obviously, Rishabh had not heard them. Other fielders and bowlers on the ground actually heard something on both occasions,” Ponting stated.
(Inputs from ANI)