After his contingent got hit by COVID-19 cases, Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant said that there was a lot of confusion and nervousness in the camp when wicketkeeper Tim Siefert tested positive, before the clash against Punjab Kings.
Siefert returned positive in Wednesday’s RT-PCR testing and became the sixth COVID affected case in Delhi’s contingent. Earlier, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh also tested positive and was admitted to a hospital. “Obviously there was confusion in our camp because in the morning we got to know that Tim (Seifert) is also positive. There was some confusion, nervousness and what are we going to do now kinda feeling, but we spoke in the team meeting and pointed out on what we can focus on, there was so much noise from the outside that we thought we will focus on the match,” said Rishabh Pant in a post-match presentation.
Bowlers played a key role for Delhi Capitals as they bundled out Punjab Kings for 115 and their batters too pitched in strongly, chasing the target in inside 11 overs in the IPL match at Brabourne Stadium here on Wednesday.
The only way for Punjab Kings to make a match of their total was by picking a few early wickets. But, instead, it was carnage from Prithvi Shaw and David Warner. The pair recorded their fourth consecutive 50 plus opening stand and reached the landmark in just 3.3 overs.
“Mostly I like to leave them (Shaw and Warner) lone as everyone knows their roles in the team. We will look to improve in every match and that’s the only thing we can control, results are not in our control but we can learn from our mistakes. On a wicket like this, I thought the ball was stopping a bit and that’s why I used more of the spinners,” said Pant. Punjab King’s 115 is the lowest total by any team so far in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2022.
The total was chased by DC with 57 balls to spare as the team boosted their NRR (Net Run Rate). Capitals never looked in trouble throughout the match as they inflicted a heavy nine-wicket defeat on Punjab Kings.