Exclusive: Ponting weighs competition and identifies rising prospects for IPL 2023
Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting has used the latest episode of The ICC Review to expertly dissect the upcoming IPL and provide his thoughts on the teams that will prove hardest to beat, the inexperienced players he expects to become household names, and just how the new playing conditions will affect the tournament.
Ponting will lead a new-look Capitals squad into battle over the eight-week tournament, with Australia veteran David Warner captaining the franchise in the absence of regular skipper Rishabh Pant.
And while Ponting is hoping the Capitals will be able to build on their fifth-placed finish in 2022, the Australia great acknowledged just how evenly matched most of the teams are and believes this year's event is the most open for some time.
"It's a tough question…as very rarely does a team dominate the IPL from the start to the finish,” Ponting noted on The ICC Review when asked by host Sanjana Ganesan as to which teams – outside of his own - he thinks will reach this year’s final.
"Obviously Gujarat (Titans) last year was amazing, a brand new team, and were able to win the tournament.
"The other finalist last year, Rajasthan Royals, I think have got a really, really good squad. And we said that last year, immediately after the auction, we were pretty impressed with what they were able to do and put a good squad together. They've only built on that again this year. I think Rajasthan will be there, thereabouts.
"It's a hard game to judge and a hard game to understand who's going to win. Those who stand up in the moment will generally win more often than not. But if I'm looking at the squads, Rajasthan has got a good squad as anybody."
And while Ponting said he is still doing his homework on the make-up of other squads and was reluctant to single out opposition players that he expects to shine, the former Australia captain was quick to name two rising prospects from his side that he believes will prosper.
Ponting expects young India star Yash Dhull to build on the performances that saw him named captain of the Team of the Tournament at last year's ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup and predicted emerging all-rounder Aman Khan as another player that may have a breakout event.
Written By…https://www.icc-cricket.com/