IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting reveals his pre-match ritual

Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting has revealed his pre-match ritual ahead of his team's IPL 2021 opener against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Mumbai. Ponting said that he always makes it a point to be clean-shaven before the night of a game.

Ricky Ponting recently gave a rousing pep-talk at DC's training session, which made many fans compare him to Kabir Khan's character from Chak De India- a Bollywood movie.

DC recently shared a clip with the caption: "The only difference between Ricky Ponting and Kabir Khan is that the latter had a stubble on Matchday."

The only difference between @RickyPonting and Kabir Khan is that the latter had a stubble on Matchday 😉#CSKvDC #YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/nRioP0WKRS

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 10, 2021

In the clip, Ricky Ponting jokingly talked about how his wife will divorce him if he isn't seen clean-shaven on television.

"If I do (keep his stubble), my wife will see me on television once, and she will probably divorce me if she sees that. I'll be having a shave over the next couple of days. Make sure when the game day comes around... It's always a ritual of mine anyway. I'm not sure if you guys have ever noticed this, but I'm clean shaven the night before every game. So I'll be having a shave for sure," the former Australian captain said.

DC open their IPL 2021 campaign against the Chennai Super Kings tonight. Last season, the Delhi franchise got the better of the MS Dhoni-led side in both league encounters.

This time, DC will be without their regular captain Shreyas Iyer for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury he sustained during the first ODI against England. Moreover, Ricky Ponting's team will also be without their pace-bowling duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, as the South African speedsters are serving their mandatory seven-day quarantine.

"Suresh Raina is almost like a new signing for CSK" - Ricky Ponting

Suresh Raina (left) pulled out of IPL 2020 due to personal reasons.

Speaking about his team's opening clash, DC coach Ricky Ponting has said that Chennai Super Kings will be a more formidable outfit with Suresh Raina returning to the squad. Ponting said in this regard:

"They (CSK) have always managed to play really consistent cricket. Last year, they were probably disappointed with the way their season worked out. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that Suresh Raina wasn't there for the entire tournament. He comes back into the squad this year, which is almost like a new signing. A great player and a very experienced player that they missed last year," Ricky Ponting said.

DC have been on an upward trajectory since Ponting took over as the franchise's head coach role.

3️⃣ Days to go for our first #IPL2021 game and we bring you the video you've been waiting for 📹💙@RickyPonting met the 2021 squad for the first time and his speech gave us goosebumps even while we recorded this 🔥#YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2021 #DCAllAccess @OctaFX pic.twitter.com/7e1341uj1F

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 7, 2021

In his first season, DC finished last but bounced back to end third in their next campaign. Last season, DC fell to MI in the final.

It remains to be seen if DC can go the distance this year and win their first IPL title.