IPL 2023: There’s a lot of pride at stake for us, says DC Assistant Coach Agarkar ahead of PBKS clash

Dharamsala: Out of the race for the Playoffs spots despite their recent resurgence because of their poor start, the Delhi Capitals will be playing for pride when they take on Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium here on Wednesday.

Speaking ahead of the game, Delhi Capitals’ Assistant Coach Ajit Agarkar said the team is ready to go up against PBKS in their penultimate league match in IPL 2023.

“There’s a lot of pride at stake and there are still two points to play for. We won’t change our approach and we will try to finish as high as possible on the points table.”

Wednesday’s match will provide DC with a chance for revenge against PBKS as they had lost to them by 31 runs in a match played in New Delhi on Saturday (May 13). After restricting Punjab Kings to 167/7, Delhi Capitals could manage only 136/5 in their 20 overs, thus falling short by a sizable margin while chasing a par score.

About that match, Agarkar said, “We lost too many wickets in a cluster in the last game. We got off to a good start, but we couldn’t finish the match. We’ll look to improve upon this aspect of our batting in our next two games.”

The DC Assistant Coach said that he’s hoping for a good batting track at Dharamsala for their match against Punjab Kings.

“Dharamsala is a spectacular venue. Hopefully, we’ll get a good batting track which will give the batters a chance to play a bit more freely.”

Agarkar also heaped praise on speedster Ishant Sharma, his one-time teammate in the national team, for his performance this season. “Ishant has been really good around the group. The younger bowlers can learn from the way he has conducted himself and prepared for games. He’s been terrific for us this season.”

After Wednesday’s encounter, Delhi Capitals, who are plumbing the bottom with eight points from 12 games, will wind up their campaign with a match against four-time winners Chennai Super Kings at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Another win will help them end IPL 2023 on a high, which will be a morale booster for the next season.

–IANS