DUBAI, Aug 31: Table toppers Delhi Capitals will start the IPL from scratch, treating the upcoming second phase in the UAE as a fresh tournament in different conditions, said assistant coach Pravin Amre.
The second leg of the T20 league, which was suspended in May due to the increasing COVID-19 cases in India and multiple infections in the IPL bio-bubble, is scheduled to resume in the UAE from September 19.
The Capitals are currently perched on top of the points table with 12 points from eight matches. “We have to look at the remainder of the season as a fresh one.
There has been a long break after the first half and we will be playing in different conditions and wickets,” Amre was quoted as saying in a media release.
“We are looking to start from scratch and not show any complacency after a brilliant performance in the first half of the tournament.
“We will look to play with the same intensity that we showed in our first match of the IPL 2021,” he added.
The Capitals have hit the ground running in their pre-season camp overlooked by assistant coaches Amre and Ajay Ratra at the ICC Academy here.
Amre expressed that the team is looking to get used to the conditions and the wickets in the UAE.
“It’s going to be humid when the season resumes and it is important for the players to get used to the wickets and conditions here in the UAE. Credit to the DC management for sending us here early, so that we have enough time to prepare well with the conditions on offer.”
Star batsman Shreyas Iyer, who missed out on the first half of the season due to a shoulder injury, reached Dubai a week earlier than the rest of the team to work on his game with Amre.
Amre said that Iyer has regained his full fitness and is hitting the ball very well in the nets.
“It’s always hard for any cricketer to come back after an injury. Our entire team, especially Delhi Capitals’ strength and conditioning Coach Rajinikanth Sivagnanam, Assistant Physio Dhananjay Kaushik and Physio Patrick Farhart worked hard when Shreyas was undergoing rehabilitation.”
“Even the National Cricket Academy played an important role during Shreyas’ recovery period. Getting his shoulder strength back was important for him and he has been hitting the ball as long as anybody in the nets.”
The Capitals are set to take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22 here. (PTI)
