Delhi Capitals might have lost the Indian Premier League (IPL) final but the Shreyas Iyer-led side won the hearts with their brilliant performance in the tournament.
Delhi Capitals skipper Iyer praised head coach Ricky Ponting for his leadership.
“I've mentioned it heaps of times, Ricky is probably the best I've worked with. The amount of freedom he (Ponting) gives us is outstanding. The way he motivates players is simply amazing. His team meetings and motivational speeches it quite incredible," Iyer told host broadcaster Star Sports in the post-match presentation.
"The IPL always amazes you, it's one of the toughest leagues to play. I'm overwhelmed to be part of it, and I'm really proud of my boys, the way they have played to reach the final, it's not easy," said Iyer.
"Winning the IPL would have been better, but we will see to it that we lift the trophy next year. I would like to thank our fans, and we're thankful for all the support that has been showered on us throughout the season," he added.
Speaking highly of his captain, Ponting called Iyer a ‘brilliant captain and person’.
“Iyer is a brilliant player, captain and person. He’s definitely grown in stature in the last 12 months. Hopefully we can work together a bit more in the future,” Ponting said after the match.
The DC coach, who was previously the gaffer at MI when they won in 2015, praised the Rohit Sharma-led outfit.
"You have got to give credit where credit is due: MI have clearly been the best team all the way through this IPL," Ponting said at the post-match presentation. "They've beaten us four times in the tournament now. They turned up and played a great game today in the final when it really matters. As a coach it is can be frustrating sitting in the dugout when you haven't got control over things, but I'm extremely proud of the way we player cricket this tournament. Just to finish off, MI thoroughly deserve their win."
Talking of his team, Ponting said: "We had about three-and-a-half weeks of training before our first game. We knew that that was always going to be a challenge to try and keep the boys up through what's been a 10 or 11 weeks of a hard slog."
Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals by five wickets and eight balls to spare in the final of the tournament on Tuesday at the Dubai International Stadium to lift their fifth IPL title.
Iyer himself produced a memorable knock with the bat in the final, scoring 65 runs off 50 balls to help the team cross the 150-run mark while batting first and giving the bowling side something to defend. Mumbai Indians, however, chased down the target in 18.4 overs.
