The IPL auction is just around the corner and teams are preparing with full enthusiasm. And the discussions and brainstorming on the auction strategies are in full swing for all the IPL teams. Ricky Ponting who is the head coach of the Delhi Capitals had a meeting with the team management and discussed the team’s potential targets for the IPL 2020 season.
“We’ve had several discussions over the last few months, and have put in a lot of time and effort to make sure that we’re well prepared,” Ponting said.
“You can do all the planning in the world, but at the auction table, the unpredictable always happens.”
The former Australian captain pointed out that overseas fast bowlers will be the center of attraction as the players go under the hammer on December 19th.
“There’s going to be a lot of focus and attention on fast bowlers, overseas ones in particular,” the former Australian captain said.
He mentioned the names of players who he thinks could get big money in Kolkata’s event with many Trans-Tasman players along with Chris Woakes making his list.
“Pat Cummins could go for big money, as could Chris Woakes. All-rounders are always interesting in my opinion. Players like Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh, Jimmy Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme could all be big picks. Going into the auction you have to be very specific about the kind of players you need,” he said.
He stated that the teams would look to fill their gaps and work on the weaknesses and make choices accordingly for this mini-auction. “For instance, we’ve got three openers, so we don’t need to look for one. You need to identify the problem areas in your starting eleven, and essentially plug the gaps.”
The 3-time World Cup winner spoke of Delhi Capital’s last year’s performance as the team made the playoffs for the first time since 2012. “The semi-final loss against Chennai was disappointing of course. But we played some great cricket, and even now, about 7-8 months after the tournament, I feel like there were times when we were the best team in the competition. I just remember how much fun everybody had. It was a totally different environment than most other IPLs that I have been a part of. The idea is to recreate that atmosphere and culture with our new and existing bunch of players.”
[su_box title=”Also See” box_color=”#0E1E8E” radius=”0″]IPL 2020 Post-Auction Review: All Teams, All Squads
5 Lesser-Known Players To Watch Out For In IPL 2020
CSK 2020: Same Policy, Similar Returns?
[/su_box]
Ponting showered praise for Ashwin and Rahane as the experienced duo were signed by the franchise in the trade window “They are the kind of players who are likely to do well on the Kotla wicket, and of course, bring tremendous experience with them.”
Delhi Capitals will go into the 19th December auction in Kolkata with a purse of INR 27.85 crore and 11 available slots, including five overseas players.
This will be Ponting’s 3rd season as DC coach and he coached the Mumbai Indians side from 2014 to 2016.
Related Reading:
- Vitality T20 Blast 2020 Points Table and Match Results
- Vitality T20 Blast 2020 All Teams & Full Squads
- IPL 2020 All Teams, Players, Full Squads, Complete Schedule, Past Winners
- Vitality T20 Blast 2020 Full Match Schedule & Past Winners
- CPL 2020 – Where to watch? (TV / Livestream Options)
- CPL 2020 Points Table, Match Schedule & Results, All Past Winners
Leave a Reply