“Have heard lot of people say that there is no coach like him” - Delhi Capitals’ Mandeep Singh on Ricky Ponting 

Delhi Capitals’ (DC) batter Mandeep Singh has stated that he is very excited to work under head coach Ricky Ponting at the franchise. Mandeep revealed that he has heard a lot of good things about the Aussie legend from players and can’t wait to work under him.

30-year-old Mandeep Singh was purchased by DC for ₹1.10 crores at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega-auction in Bengaluru. He had earlier represented Punjab and Bangalore in the T20 league.

Sharing his excitement at the opportunity to work with Ponting, the right-handed batter said in an interview shared on DC’s official Twitter handle:

“I am keenly looking forward to working with Ricky Ponting. He is one of the legends of the game. That is one thing I am eagerly waiting for, working on my game alongside Ricky Ponting. I think it will be a very enjoyable season to play with this team."

Mandeep stated that he hasn’t seen videos of Ponting’s famous speeches. However, Singh added that he has heard some great stuff about the former Australian captain. He said in praise of DC’s coach:

“No, I haven’t seen the videos but have heard a lot of people say that there is no coach like him. He is someone who maintains a healthy team atmosphere. Be it victory or loss, he makes sure the vibe is already positive around the team. I have heard a lot of good things spoken about him from players.”

Under Ponting’s guidance, DC finished on top of the points table after the league stage last season. However, they failed to make the final, losing both their qualifying matches.

The vibe has been really good: Mandeep Singh

Speaking about the vibe around the DC camp, Mandeep asserted that it is a very positive one. He said:

“The vibe has been really good. I feel I have come to a relative’s place since Punjab and Delhi are similar to me. So yeah, feeling very good to be here.”

The batter, who is also an occasional medium-pacer, added that he is feeling reasonably comfortable because he knows quite a few players in the team. Mandeep Singh revealed:

“It is a very young team and already everyone is gelling along well with each other. Sarfaraz (Khan) is here too, someone whom I have played together with for the last eight years. I have played alongside Rishabh (Pant) when he made his debut. Axar (Patel) is someone whom I have played with, same with Shardul (Thakur). So the setup isn’t very new to me.”

Having made his IPL debut in 2011, Mandeep Singh has featured in 105 matches and has scored 1674 runs at a strike rate of 124.09.