Bengaluru: With Rishabh Pant banned for one match by the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to slow-over rate suspension, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting confirmed that all-rounder Axar Patel will lead the side in the forthcoming game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their penultimate league stage match of the IPL 2024 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Saturday, Ponting said, "He (Axar) has been Vice-Captain at this franchise for the last couple of seasons. A very experienced IPL player, an experienced international player, and a sensible guy, who understands the game well. He's excited about it. We started talking about it a couple of days ago when there was a possibility that Rishabh might be banned."
"We've done our bowlers' meetings today. He'll catch up with all the guys tonight, go through all the plans and make sure that he's ready to lead the team well tomorrow," he added.
Delhi Capitals are placed fifth in the points table with 12 points in 12 matches, while the hosts are on a four-match winning streak. When asked if tomorrow's game will be a tough or equal fight, the DC head coach said, "They're all tough games in the IPL. If you wind the clock back two weeks, RCB weren't playing anywhere near their best. And, now, they probably played as well as anybody in the tournament."
"I'll put a case forward as well to say that what we've done as a team in the last seven games has been as impressive as anyone in the tournament. We've won five of our last seven, and we've made some huge scores along the way. There are no excuses from us tomorrow, regardless of Pant not being in the lineup. If we turn up and play our best game, then I know that the Delhi Capitals will be very hard to beat tomorrow," he added.
While touching upon the team combination in Pant's absence, Ponting also gave an update on David Warner's fitness. He said, "David Warner missed the last game, he got that nasty knock on his hand about a month ago and since then he hasn't played a game. He is fully prepared, he'll be out hitting balls in the middle now. Hopefully, he's available for selection tomorrow."
The Delhi Capitals will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their next match of IPL 2024 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.
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