Over the last couple of years, as Delhi Capitals have grown as a formidable franchise, coach Ricky Ponting's high-octane post-match speeches in the dressing room have become a rage of sorts. After Capitals suffered a heart-breaking loss against Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1, he insisted: "You guys are the best group of players and if you stick together you'll get the result on Wednesday."
In the last edition of the IPL, Capitals were more of a nothing-to-lose team with the core built around Indian cricket's Gen-Next. But by finishing runners-up, they now have a reputation to protect and an ego to satisfy.
KKR find themselves in the same spot where DC have been the last two years. World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan's team's revival in the second leg of this year's IPL in UAE has revolved largely around the younger generation of Indian cricketers. Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi and Shivam Mavi have stepped up in crunch situations just as Avesh Khan, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer have done for Capitals recently.
-I think we would have an edge against the Delhi Capitals,- Gill announced after defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator on Monday.
The confidence stems from the familiarity with the Sharjah stadium-the venue for the match. -They (DC) are a really balanced team as we see it and hopefully we will give another cracker of a game. This was our third match here and we know what to expect from this wicket and I think right now everyone is adjusted to how the pitch plays and the conditions,- he added.
There-s no denying that KKR have the momentum behind them. The tacky Sharjah pitch suits their game too. Yet, DC-s bowling has been outstanding in the last couple of seasons. For KKR, the occasion is perfect in Sharjah. They play a second consecutive knockout game at one of their favourite venues, face an opposition coming in with two back-to-back defeats and know how to beat them in these conditions, having done so earlier in the competition. Incidentally, Sunil Narine was the one who made all the difference with the bat and ball in that match too.
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