Coach Ricky Ponting 'most proud' after Delhi's must-win clash against Bangalore

Delhi coach Ricky Ponting said that he was pleased to see how all the players of his side responded in a do-or-die match against Bangalore at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Monday. 

The three-time finalists were restricted to 152/7 in their 20 overs after being asked to bat by Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer. In reply, Delhi got the job done by 6 wickets and an over to spare.

Shreyas Iyer & Co. will now face the title-holders Mumbai in Qualifier 1 on Thursday while Bangalore will face either Kolkata or Hyderabad in the Eliminator on Friday. 

'I am most proud': Ricky Ponting

"I am most proud because it was do-or-die, and the boys knew that and they responded in a really positive manner. The way I am looking at it now is that we have done that, and we just have two more games to play, and it will gear ourselves up to try and win the first final, then let's see how we can go from there," said Ponting in an official Delhi Capitals release.

"It has been the hardest thing (to have lost four matches). I think, over the last couple of weeks, the key was to make sure that the confidence was still up. You know whenever you lose a few games in a row at the back-end of the tournament, it can sometimes be a bit difficult to change the momentum. But, credit to the boys - they were outstanding. You could see different energy around the group that really set the tempo for the whole game," he added.

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Delhi to face the reigning champs Mumbai in Qualifier 1

Speaking about Delhi's clash against the defending champions, the three-time World Cup winner said they will make sure that they are well prepared to face the table-toppers despite being at the receiving end in both their round-robin fixtures.

"So we can look ahead now to MI, who have beaten us twice in this tournament, and make sure we are ready to go for them in a few days," said Ponting.

The winner of that contest will be through to the final that will be played next Tuesday in Dubai while the loser gets a second chance to make amends as they will be facing the winner of Friday's Eliminator in Qualifier 2 that will be played on Sunday.

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(Image Courtesy: IPL Twitter)

(With ANI Inputs)