Delhi skip Shreyas says his side have momentum to go all the way in IPL-12
Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer (right) and Prithvi Shaw dance in New Delhi on Saturday. Pic/PTI
The mad scramble for the four playoff berths in the IPL is truly on. With barely three rounds of league matches to be played, the position in the points table is bound to fluctuate. By the end of Sunday's games, current leaders Chennai Super Kings may well drop to number three if Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians win their respective games.
ADVERTISEMENT
At the Kotla on Sunday afternoon, Delhi Capitals are up against Royal Challengers Bangalore, who though placed at the bottom still have a mathematical chance to make it to the playoffs.
RCB has been one of the most underachieving teams in the IPL in recent years and the jinx just doesn't seem to go away despite possessing a talented line-up. The Virat Kohli-led team have finally shown some winning touch, but there cannot be a slip-up now, else it will be curtains for them. Delhi Capitals on the other hand are having one of their best seasons and seem well on the way to the playoffs.
"We have the momentum and the players are all keyed up. The mood in our camp is really positive. Our aim is to finish among the top-two so that we get two chances to make it to the final," skipper Shreyas Iyer said.
"However, at this stage we are not focusing that far. Our immediate attention is tomorrow's match against the RCB. They are on a bit of a roll and cannot be taken lightly despite being bottom-placed. Anyhow our job is to see that we perform at our optimum and results are bound to
follow," he said.
Rishabh Pant who played a gem of an innings against Rajasthan Royals the other night will be in the limelight once again. Already reams have been written about his exclusion from the World Cup squad, and though he cannot do much about that, what he can do is take Delhi Capitals all the way this IPL.
"What you want from a player like him is win you three or four matches during the season, and he has won two games for us so far. If he remains in form, we can get a couple of more wins," coach Ricky Ponting said optimistically.
Delhi Capitals have 14 points from 11 matches, which include seven wins and four losses. "We have won four of our last five matches, and with three to go, I feel we are heading in the right direction. I am happy that the team is peaking at the right time," Ponting added. The match will show if RCB still have gumption to fight, or will just fritter away their outside chance.
Catch up on all the latest T20 news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
