IPL 2020: Ricky Ponting issues stern warning to all batsmen ahead of the tournament

Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting feels that the non-striker batsman is cheating if he is venturing out of his crease when the bowler is about to deliver the ball. This statement has been made by Australia's two-time World Cup-winning skipper with reference to the 'Mankading' incident in the last edition of the tournament. 

Delhi's new recruit veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was a part of the infamous 'Mankading' incident during the IPL 2019 when the 2008 winners Rajasthan Royals and the 2014 finalists Kings XI Punjab had locked horns at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

It so happened that he had run out star English batsman Jos Buttler when the latter had walked out of his crease while Ashwin was about to deliver the ball. What really stood out here was that the then KXIP skipper had dislodged the bails without even giving a formal warning to the batsman.

Buttler's wicket was the turning point as Punjab won the contest but R Ashwin was criticised for his action by former cricketers and experts. However, there were many who had backed him as well.

'Batsmen shouldn't be cheating': Ricky Ponting

"It shouldn't get to that stage anyway, batsmen shouldn't be cheating. That's what batsmen are doing, batsmen are actually cheating by trying to steal a yard or two here or there. It's something that needs to be addressed. When it happened last year, immediately I addressed it with our team because once it happened once in the IPL I felt that every team was going to try and exploit the same thing," cricket.com.au quoted Ponting as saying.

"I think something has to happen with the laws of the game to make sure batsmen can't cheat and there certainly shouldn't be the 'Mankad' rule the way it is. I think if you bring in some sort of run penalty for the batsman if they're deliberately leaving their crease and pinching ground that might be the way to go about it," the three-time World Cup winner added.

"I'm sure those discussions are happening at the moment because I don't think it's a good look on the game when you see a 'Mankad' happen. I think something is going to have to change. So we sat down as a group and I told our boys and the leaders in our team were on board as well and we agreed we weren't going to do that, we weren't going to play that way. If it looked like a batsman was cheating and deliberately pinching a yard or two at the non-striker's end we would stop them and would warn them and make sure they kept coming back into their crease," the Aussie great further added.

Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020

The Capitals had finished third last season after losing to the eventual runners-up CSK in Qualifier 2. At the same time, a new look Delhi franchise (formerly known as Delhi Daredevils till the 2018 edition) had also made it to the playoffs for the first time after seven years. 

They will be hoping to climb two more steps this time around. Delhi will also have the services of two of their new recruits who are Team India's current Test specialists as well i.e. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane.

Just like the previous edition, the Capitals will be led by the young skipper Shreyas Iyer and they will be hoping to go all the way this time around. DC will kick off their campaign when they lock horns against Kings XI Punjab at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on September 20.

READ: IPL 2020: Kagiso Rabada Reckons That Delhi Capitals Can Be The Most Consistent Team

(With ANI Inputs)