“We didn't show any urgency against spinners” - Ricky Ponting blames DC batters for defeat against CSK

Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting opined that the batters’ lack of urgency against spinners cost the team the match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Wednesday, May 10. According to Ponting, DC aren’t going to win games if they allow the opposition to bowl too many dot balls.

CSK beat DC by 27 runs in match number 55 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Chasing a target of 168, they were held to 140/8. Chennai’s spinners stifled Delhi as Ravindra Jadeja registered figures of 1/19 from his four overs, while Moeen Ali conceded only 16 runs in his four.

In a post-match press conference, Ponting lamented another poor showing by Delhi’s batters and commented:

“We lost two early, then we lost three early and then the spinners came on. We didn't show any urgency against the spinners. There were about 34 dot balls in the middle of the game. You are never going to win chasing a score if there are that many dot balls through the middle phase.”

Ponting further pointed out that DC have lost wickets in the first over on a number of occasions, which has hurt the batting performance in a big way.

He stated:

“I think that is the fifth, sixth, maybe seventh time this season where we have lost a wicket in the first over of the game. On one occasion, we lost two wickets in the first over of the game. That is clearly an area that we haven't got right so far. It is pretty obvious where the game was lost.”

Delhi had stumbled to 25/3 by the start of the fourth over in the chase against Chennai.

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“The fact that he is not playing an indication that he did not perform” - Ponting on Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw has been one of the big disappointments for DC in IPL 2023. Admitting that the talented batter has failed to perform to expectations, Ponting rued the fact that most Indian batters in the franchise have underperformed this season.

Sharing his views on Delhi’s batting woes, the Aussie legend commented:

“Manish [Pandey] started the tournament really well. We were really happy with the way he prepared and got himself ready for the first few games and had some impact for us. Prithvi, the fact that he is not playing, is an indication that he did not perform as we wanted him to at the start of the tournament.

“Unlike me, we’ve been changing the batting order around quite a bit. We’ve got a bit more thinking to do. We’ve tried all of our Indian batters at some stage in the tournament. No one has really grabbed the opportunity with both hands yet.”

In Wednesday’s match, Rilee Rossouw’s 35 was the top score for DC, while Manish Pandey contributed 27.