IPL 2022: "I am going to have a lot of breakfast, lunch, dinner and coffee with all younger guys" - Ricky Ponting

Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting is raring to acquaint himself with the franchise's newly signed youngsters. In the team huddle on Sunday, he instructed them to keep their doors open, saying he would share a lot of meals with everyone in the coming days to get to know them as soon as possible.

DC failed to retain many of their core players from last season but signed a lot of promising youngsters. Yash Dhull, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Vicky Ostwal, Sarfaraz Khan and Chetan Sakariya are all known names in the domestic and Under-19 arenas and could play crucial roles as reserves this season.

In a video interview with the franchise's social media team, Ponting talked about how he was planning to get to know these players better. He said it's better to develop these connections between the coaching and playing staff because it helps bring the best out of the latter. Ponting said:

"You heard what I said earlier on. It's 'Boys when you are in your room keep your doors open, get to know each other. I am going to have a lot of breakfast, lunch and dinner and coffee with all the younger guys I don't know to get to know them as quickly as I can."

He added:

"When you do that, I think as a coach or even as a senior player, when you show that sort of love towards the younger guys, you know that they are going to give it back. That's what I'd be endeavoring to do over the next few days, James (Hopes, fast-bowling coach) will do the same, Shane Watson (assistant coach) is in a couple of days, Ajit (Agarkar, assistant coach) is here, will be out of quarantine soon. So as a coaching group, we've got to get close to players as quickly as we can."

DC is effectively among the youngest IPL teams this season, led by the youngest captain Rishabh Pant. The wicketkeeper-batter had a great debut season as IPL captain, leading the team to the Qualifiers.

However, he had the support of former IPL captains, Shreyas Iyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Shikhar Dhawan, and all three have now moved on to separate franchises.

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"You need some of that energy to bring the older guys up" - Ricky Ponting

Ponting also said he would work to make sure that the new additions would infuse the team with energy throughout the season, especially during the mid-phase when seniors tend to be a little tired. Ponting said:

"Absolutely, that's what you expect from younger guys, you know, and I'll make sure that they bring that every day because through the middle part of the IPL and at the back end, when everybody starts to get a little tired and run down, you need some of that energy to bring the older guys up. We've got three or four guys in the nineteens; if they can't do it then for me at 47, I am not going to be able to do it!"

While the squad looks exciting, DC has been criticized for its IPL 2022 auction strategy as well. Some experts feel the youngsters won't be able to fill the shoes of Dhawan, Iyer, and Ashwin, and the team might struggle due to a lack of experience.

But Ponting said auctions are not only about building a strong squad for the imminent season but also the future. The Australian asserted:

"It's a really exciting time. The mega auction, the way it is, it's really hard to plan for just the first season, you got to sort of look a bit further ahead. I think that's what we've done really well. We've got a really good squad this year but in a couple of years' time, with some of the young guys we've got, I think we can develop and nurture them and have a really powerful squad in a year or two."

DC will play their first game against the Mumbai Indians on March 27, beginning at 3:30 pm IST.