Head coach Ricky Ponting said Delhi Capitals' performance in the first half of IPL 2021 doesn't matter and the team will look to make a fresh start in the second leg of the T20 league, which starts in the UAE on Sunday.
Delhi Capitals finished the first leg of IPL, which was suspended in India in May due to COVID-19, on top of the points table with six wins from eight games.
However, the Australian believes that Delhi Capitals are yet to produce their 'best cricket'.
"It doesn't matter what we've done in the first half of the season. It's been four months since when we played some really good cricket, so we really have to start again. We have to build ourselves as we go along in the tournament and make sure that we are playing our best cricket at the back end of the tournament. Our performance in the first half of the tournament was because of how well we played and how hard we worked, but I don't think we played our best cricket," said Ponting.
Ponting stated that the players have shown great intensity during the pre-season camp.
"I have been waiting for four months to come back to the Delhi Capitals camp. I have such a great time when I work with the team and it's a great time in my calendar year. I have been keeping a close eye on what's been happening here. I have been speaking to the coaching staff here and they have done a great job so far (in the pre-season camp). You can see with the intensity and the attitude shown by the players that it's been a really worthwhile camp so far. I am really excited about what we've got coming up in the next four-five weeks," said the 46-year-old.
Ponting also seemed excited about batting mainstay Shreyas Iyer's return to the team post recovering from his shoulder injury.
"It's great to have Shreyas back. He has got an infectious attitude. I have been talking to him a lot and his training has been great. He's so keen to get back into the field, score runs and win. He's a world-class player and he's going to add a lot to our team, there's no doubt about that."
Delhi Capitals will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22 in their first match of the second leg of IPL.
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