Published 16:13 IST, November 10th 2020
IPL 2020: Coach Ricky Ponting exudes confidence of doing well in the final against Mumbai
Delhi coach Ricky Ponting has exuded confidence of doing well in the final against the title-holders Mumbai. Iyer & Co. make their first final appearance
Delhi coach Ricky Ponting said that his side has earned the right to be in the final of the Indian Premier League and now it is time for them to earn the right to lift the trophy. This is Delhi's first-ever final appearance since the inception of the cash-rich tournament in 2008 and standing in their way are the title-holders Mumbai. The decider will be played at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday evening.
'Now we got to earn the right to win the final': Ricky Ponting
"All we have done so far has given ourselves the right to play in the final. Now we got to earn the right to win the final," Ponting told DCTV.
Despite having been at the receiving end in the overall head-to-head encounters against the reigning champions in the ongoing season, 'Punter' is confident that his team can give Rohit & Co. a run for their money in the final.
"We have got enough firepower. If there is a team that they (Mumbai) would not want to play, it would be us," the three-time World Cup winner added.
Can Delhi do the unthinkable?
Delhi got the better of a resurgent Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 to seal a final berth for the very first time. However, coming into this tournament-decider, the odds do not favour the Shreyas-Iyer-led side as they have lost all of their three matches to Mumbai this season (two league & Qualifier 1). In fact, Iyer & Co. had suffered bitter defeats in two of those three matches (by 9 wickets & 57 runs respectively.)
Therefore, it remains to be seen whether the first-time finalists can do the unthinkable and win the marquee tournament.
The defending champions on the other hand are the team of the tournament. They had finished the league stages as the table-toppers with 18 points and had made easy work out of Delhi in the playoffs to steamroll their way into their sixth final. The Rohit Sharma-led side will not only be looking to retain the title but at the same time, will also be hoping to win the marquee tournament for a record fifth time.
(Image Courtesy: IPL Twitter)
(With ANI Inputs)
Updated 16:13 IST, November 10th 2020