IPL 2024: DC coach Pravin Amre focuses on 'positives' after defeat against Punjab Kings

Chandigarh, 24 March 2024: Delhi Capitals went down fighting by four wickets against Punjab Kings in their opening match of the IPL 2024 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur on March 23.

Abishek Porel, who came in as an Impact Substitute in the death overs, smashed an unbeaten 32 off 10 to help Delhi Capitals post 174/9 in 20 overs. However, the home side chased the target in 19.2 overs, courtesy of Sam Curran's 63 off 47 balls and Liam Livingstone's unbeaten 38 off 21 balls. 

Also read: IPL 2024: Who is Abishek Porel? - Everything You Need to Know About Delhi Capitals' Impact Player

Reflecting on the match, Delhi Capitals Assistant Coach Pravin Amre said, "Not the start we wanted, every team wants to start on a winning note. But there are a lot of positives from the game, our intent in batting was good. We were in a good position, then back-to-back wickets in the middle overs caused us but came back. We can also see the positive about Abishek Porel, the guy who came in and scored runs at a strike rate of more than 300. He got us to the par score of 170 plus.

"In the bowling, I think Ishant's injury caused us and we all know catches win matches. We dropped a couple of crucial catches and maybe the outcome would have been different. When you lose your main bowler it becomes difficult to contain them, but you have to credit Sam and Liam for the way they batted and finished the game," he added.

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When asked about the emotions on Rishabh Pant's comeback Amre stated, "Sometimes as coaches, we don't get emotional, but this was emotional. Personally, it was special because I have closely seen his journey since his initial days at DC. We are really happy with the way he conducted himself, it's not easy after a 14-month comeback and handling that kind of pressure."