Mentor Dravid disappointed by Delhi, yet again
Delhi Daredevilsmentor Rahul Dravid believes that Mumbai Indians are the favourities to win the IPL , but they will face tough opposition from the other three teams -- Rising Pune Supergiant, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.
“Mumbai (Indians) finished top of the table and are looking quite strong. But, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rising Pune Supergiant are all good sides and we can expect quite a few exciting matches in the play-off stage,” said Dravid.
Dravid also cited his side’s inability to win close matches as the main reason behind their disappointing run in 2017.
“We were unable to win a lot games from close situations and that proved to be our downfall this season. It is important to win these kind of games in the IPL and we could manage just 2-3 wins from those positions”, he said.
Delhi Daredevils were in a similar position on Sunday as they needed 13 runs to win from the final over, but a brilliant performance from Pawan Negi handed Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore the victory.
When asked about the match, Dravid said, “We kept losing wickets at regular intervals and the pressure of the required rate got to us. RCB bowled really well and we were unable to finish the game.”
Delhi Daredevils suffered a huge blow before the start of the season when Quinton De Kock and JP Duminy both opted out of the tournament. It left a huge hole in the DD batting line up and Rahul Dravid believes that they were never really able to recover from those losses.
“We lost De Kock and Duminy before the tournament and as a result, our batting line-up was quite inexperienced when compared to other teams.
“They are really good players of this format and it was too late for us to find good replacements for them.”
Delhi Daredevils finished the season at sixth with 12 points from 14 matches.
“The youngsters played brilliantly for us and I believe that they have the potential to become huge stars. Players like Rishabh (Pant) and Sanju (Samson) have really proved their mettle against good bowling line-ups and if they are consistent, the future looks extremely bright for them.”
The youngsters played brilliantly for us and I believe that they have the potential to become huge stars and have really proved their mettle. RAHUL DRAVID, Delhi mentor