Following a crushing 106-run defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals' head coach Ricky Ponting expressed strong disappointment and labeled the performance as "unacceptable" and "embarrassing." The Capitals suffered a dismal outing, conceding a whopping 272 runs in 20 overs and then collapsing to 166 all out in 17.2 overs, marking one of their most significant losses in IPL history.
Ponting didn't mince his words during the post-match press conference, emphasizing his frustration, "It's pretty hard to assess right now. I mean I was almost embarrassed with our first half of the game today." He highlighted the team's bowling woes, with a staggering 17 wides bowled and a sluggish over rate, leading to a shortage of fielders outside the circle in the final overs.
Throughout the game, the Capitals failed to assert themselves either with the ball or the bat, struggling to cope with the enormity of the target set by KKR, the second-highest in IPL history. Ponting stressed the need for immediate introspection and corrective measures, stating, "Lot of things happened in this game that were unacceptable... There will be some good open discussions in the changing room for sure."
Ponting also addressed skipper Rishabh Pant's decisions, particularly his reluctance to go for reviews on crucial occasions. However, Ponting shifted the focus to broader concerns, such as the team's overall bowling performance and field placements. He emphasized the urgency of addressing issues like over-rate, noting, "We can't afford to do that, no other team is doing that."
Despite the defeat, Ponting lauded the performance of 18-year-old Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who impressed on his IPL debut. However, he reiterated the need for critical self-assessment and improvement ahead of their next fixture. "They did lots of things really well but we got to be really critical of ourselves, on our own performances, and we got to look at ways to get better for the next game," Ponting concluded.
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