DC’s Abhishek Porel performs a shot through the IPL T20 Match against Punjab Kings on the Maharaha Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Punjab, on March 23, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Moorthy RV
Their marketing campaign was not off to the perfect of begins with an damage to their lead pacer and the workforce responsible of a sloppy show on the sector which led to a loss however Abhishek Porel’s scintillating cameo was a big positive, says Delhi Capitals assistant coach Pravin Amre.
DC introduced in Porel as an Impact Substitute within the demise overs after the opposite batters didn’t get going. The 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batter smashed an unbeaten 32 off 10 balls to assist his aspect submit 174/9.
However, the whole was not sufficient as DC suffered a four-wicket loss of their IPL opener against Punjab Kings on Saturday.
“Not the start we wanted, every team wants to start on a winning note. But there are a lot of positives from the game, our intent in batting was good. We were in a good position, then back-to-back wickets in the middle overs cost us but we came back.
“We may also see the positive about Abishek Porel, the man who got here in and scored runs at a strike charge of greater than 300. He bought us to the par rating of 170-plus,” Amre said.
DC were also dealt a major blow as their pace spearhead Ishant Sharma sustained an ankle injury. To add to their woes, the Capitals were also guilty of dropping as many as three catches including that of Sam Curran, who went on to score a match-winning 63.
“In the bowling, I think Ishant’s injury cost us and we all know catches win matches. We dropped a couple of crucial catches and maybe the outcome would have been different.” “When you lose your main bowler it becomes difficult to contain them (opponents), but you have to credit Sam and Liam (Livingstone) for the way they batted and finished the game.”
The match marked skipper Rishabh Pant’s comeback to cricket after 15 months following a horrific car crash.
“Sometimes as coaches, we do not get emotional, however this was emotional. Personally, it was particular as a result of I’ve intently seen his journey since his preliminary days at DC.
“We are really happy with the way he conducted himself, it’s not easy after a 14-month comeback and handling that kind of pressure.” The Capitals will tackle Rajasthan Royals subsequent on March 28.
