‘Delhi Capitals need senior players to deliver’ – AB de Villiers gives big warning to Delhi Capitals amidst poor season

The former South Africa skipper, AB de Villiers believes the Delhi franchise’s veteran players need to step up and provide significant performances since they have not seemed to be performing as a unit in Indian T20 League 2023. With their new captain David Warner, the Delhi side has had a bad start to the season, losing both games. However, he thinks the Delhi squad can make a comeback in the cash-rich league’s 16th edition.

”It has not been easy for them. It is never easy when you start with an away game and you lose badly as they did. Especially, when you are fielding the way they did in the first game. It is generally a sign of what the vibe in the squad is like. I know Ricky Ponting pretty well, he would have covered all the bases, you cannot look at the coaching staff; they would not have left a stone unturned. They made some good buys in the auction. It is a solid squad, it is possibly a tournament-winning squad,” De Villiers was quoted as saying during a virtual media interaction on Wednesday, April 5.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself: AB de Villiers

“But the Indian T20 League is not so simple, you need a very interesting dynamic, people really understanding each other, fantastic team spirit and that shows in the field. It is no time to panic; they just need to figure out where they are going wrong. They just need better performances basically, it may sound cliche and simple but their main players need to stand up and make it count. David Warner leads from the front. He is not going to give up until the tournament is over. So expect a bounce-back from them,” the right-hand batter asserted.

”The Gujarat franchise are a really strong team, and probably the favourites in my opinion to win the tournament. But Bangalore have had a fantastic start, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that they can win the tournament. ‘It’s a long road ahead. There is a lot of things that need to fall in place, but there’s no doubt in my mind (that) we (Bangalore) can win the tournament, and I’m hoping for the best. I don’t want to get ahead of myself. If we can just get through to the knockouts… it’s our first goal, then anything can happen in those knockouts. We have the talent in the team, there’s no doubt about it,” the 39-year-old stated.