New Delhi, Apr 12, 2023, IANS
New Delhi, April 12 (IANS): Delhi Capitals' Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly has said that his players will have to bat better and put up more runs on the board in their upcoming matches to reverse the downturn in their fortunes in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
Delhi Capitals lost a last-ball thriller to Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Tuesday, doing down by six wickets as Mumbai Indians bowled them out for 172 before chasing the total down in 20 overs. Delhi Capitals have lost four out of four so far in the tournament.
Speaking about the match, Sourav Ganguly said, "The loss certainly hurts, especially because of the way this team has played since 2019. But these things happen in sports. It's never easy when you lose. There are so many youngsters on our side and we'll take time to be a good team."
Skipper David Warner scored a slow 47-ball 51 and all-rounder Axar Patel blasted a 25-ball 54 as Delhi were bowled out for 172 in 19.4 overs. But Mumbai Indians rode a 45-ball 65 by skipper Rohit Sharma and handy knocks by Ishan Kishan (31) and Tilak Varma (41 off 29) to scamper to173/4 off the last delivery to secure a six-wicket win.
Asked about what Delhi Capitals need to improve on, Ganguly said, "We'll have to bat much better. Axar (Patel) was absolutely brilliant and that's why we got a score of above 170. We need others to stand up. Lalit bowled well on the wicket in Delhi. But the most important thing for us is to get together and put runs on the board."
The Delhi Capitals will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in their next match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Saturday.
Ganguly also had a message for the Delhi Capitals players, "It can only be up from here and hopefully, the young boys will turn up on the high-scoring wicket in Bengaluru. You have to find a way to make a comeback. This has happened to everyone. When you play for a period of time, you will go through such phases. It's about going back to your rooms, looking at the mirror and asking yourself how can I change."
Ganguly will expect the batters to put up a better show to help Delhi Capitals register their first points in IPL 2023.