Ended in heartbreak but Delhi Capitals is a team of exceptional warriors: Rishabh Pant

Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant on Thursday (October 14) said he is proud of the team’s performances in the 14^th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). DC’s campaign ended in heartbreak as they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Qualifier 2 by three wickets. At one stage of the match, KKR were cruising along nicely in a run chase of 136, when they were placed 96 for 1. Capitals though fought back well in the fag end by picking six wickets to put pressure right back on KRR.

The match stretched till the last over and if not for Rahul Tripathi’s brilliance, DC could have won the match. Pant felt the team fought well and described his teammates as ‘exceptional warriors’.  It was yet again a tale of yet so near and so far for DC.

“It ended in heartbreak last night, but I could not be more proud of leading this team of exceptional warriors. We battled hard through the season, and while we may have fallen short on some days, we always gave 100 percent,” Pant Tweeted.

In the same Tweet, Rishabh Pant also thanked the management, owners, teammates, and passionate fans for their support throughout the campaign. “To the owners, management, staff, my teammates, and most importantly, our passionate fans, I want to say thank you from my heart. You all made this season special. We will come back stronger,” he said.

I would try to retain every player on the team for IPL 2022: Ricky Ponting

Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting echoed the sentiments of Pant and appreciated each individual for contributing to DC being a force to reckon with in IPL. Players like Axar Patel, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Norjte, and Shreyas Iyer delivered for the team on a consistent basis. With mega auctions coming up in 2022, it is not yet confirmed who will DC retain in the squad. Ponting said he would try to retain and buy as many players as he can.

“I would like to keep everyone, to be honest. We have got this terrific group of people at the Delhi Capitals. The playing staff and the coaches have done an amazing job for the last couple of seasons and I think our performances so to speak for themselves,” said Ponting during the post-match press conference.