Delhi Capitals (DC) hit the rock-bottom of
IPL 2024
points table on Sunday with their fourth defeat in five matches, which left head coach
Ricky Ponting
with no choice than to say "it is a nine-game tournament for us now."
Chasing Mumbai Indians's mammoth 234 for 5, powered by Romario Shepherd's cameo of 10-ball 39 not out, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, Delhi put up stiff resistance before falling short by 29 runs amid climbing required run-rate.
Rohit Sharma (49), Ishan Kishan (42) and Tim David (45*) were the other main contributors to MI's total.
In Delhi's run-chase, opener Prithvi Shaw (66) and Abishek Porel (41) laid the foundation, but despite Tristan Stubbs's blistering 71 not out off 25 balls, which included 7 sixes, DC succumbed to scoreboard pressure to end up with 205 for 8.
"Now it comes down to a nine-game tournament (for us). We have got to win eight of our next nine games -- as simple as that," said Ponting in his post-match address to the team in the DC dressing room.
"We will do everything we can. We have got to stick together, keep our chins up. There's a lot of good stuff that happened tonight (Sunday). I know we lost by 29 runs, but we got nearly 210 or something batting second. The par score here, as I said this morning, is 175. So this is good stuff. We have just got to tighten up, be better at training on the 10th and and make sure we are up for the next challenge on the 12th," said Ponting, who is into his seventh season as DC's head coach.
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Delhi next travel to Lucknow Super Giants for their away game on April 12.
"The game's done, result is there. All we talk about now is getting better for our next one," Ponting said to conclude.
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