IPL 2019 | We are happy to play any team in the playoffs, reveals Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant painted an extremely confident figure after securing a win for the Delhi Capitals side on Saturday and revealed that his team does not fear any other franchise ahead of the playoffs. Pantâs 53 off 38 balls helped DC register a five-wicket win against Rajasthan Royals.
As things stand, Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi Capitals will play Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier match in the play-off stage. However, that could change based on the outcome of the match today between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium. The Delhi-based franchise have thoroughly impressed in the 12th edition of the IPL under the guidance of Australian legend - Ricky Ponting.
Capitalsâ Rishabh Pant starred with the bat yesterday afternoon as DC registered a five-wicket win against Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan Royals. Pant scored a 38-ball 53 which steadied the ship for the home team who looked to be in trouble in the second innings. However, Pant backed his side to do well in the play-off stage regardless of who they go up against.
âI am always happy whenever I am taking my team home. Itâs always special when you finish the match. I couldnât finish off the last match but today I finished off the match. We took it deep and chased it easily in the end. Firstly, we were thinking about chasing it down within 10 overs but when we lost early wickets we just focused on winning this match. We are happy in playing any team in the playoffs. When seamers take early wickets on these kind of wickets, it becomes easy for the spinners,â Pant said at the post-match ceremony yesterday.
Meanwhile, losing captain Ajinkya Rahane admitted that this season has turned out to be a rather forgettable campaign for the Rajasthan-based franchise. The Rajasthan skipper explained that the team was not able to capitalise on the tough moments in IPL.
âWe had a tough season this year. We didnât capitalise on the tough moments, we canât place the blame on the boys for today, many of them are playing their third or fourth game. We need to learn from this and come back well next season.
âRiyan Parag has been exceptional, so has Shreyas Gopal â he always thinks about taking wickets. We play the game with love and passion, itâs all about attitude. We didnât bat well, 140-150 would have been challenging. The bowlers gave it all, showed a lot of character. Personally, my season was good, I was confident about batting. Captaincy and batting is different, I always want to give the best to my franchise, itâs all about staying positive and giving your best,â Rahane added.