"Don't think we helped ourselves in the field" - Ricky Ponting rues Delhi Capitals' sloppy fielding after defeat to LSG

Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting lamented his side's poor fielding after a thumping 50-run loss at the hands of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Saturday, April 1. The 47-year-old also felt that the DC bowlers conceded far too many runs as LSG posted 193/6.

The Capitals surrendered to the Super Giants, whose relentless bowling attack restricted DC to 143-9 in 20 overs.

The critical moment came when Khaleel Ahmed dropped Kyle Mayers on 14 and the West Indian went on to smash 73 off 38 balls, a knock laced with four sixes.

A day to remember for @MAWood33 who is adjudged Player of the Match for his incredible fifer 👏

@LucknowIPL start their season with a win! 🙌

Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/TATAIPL-2023-03 #TATAIPL

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Speaking to reporters after the game, Ponting felt Mayers' power-hitting put the Capitals on the back foot and that he cashed in on the lifeline. He was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo:

"To be totally honest, I think they got more runs than they probably should have. I don't think we helped ourselves in the field today. Our fielding after the first four overs was really sloppy. A couple of chances went down, a few misfields. One of those chances that went down was Mayers', who ended up going on a bit of a run after that, which put us behind the game a little bit."

While Mayers top-scored with 73, Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni hammered five sixes between them as LSG posted a big score. Krishnappa Gowtham played only one ball but hit a last-ball six.

"Goes to show that we were a fair bit off with our execution" - Ricky Ponting on Delhi Capitals' bowling effort

Delhi Capitals. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Ponting further claimed that it wasn't a 190-run wicket at all. While he admitted that dew made it easier to bat second on the surface, 194 proved too steep a target to chase down. He explained:

"I think we conceded 16 sixes in our bowling innings. That goes to show that we were a fair bit off with our execution with our bowling. Looking at the wicket today, I didn't think it was a 190-plus wicket. So, whenever you're giving up that many, it's going to be hard to drag yourself back into the game. If anything, on that wicket, it was probably better for us batting second."

Not how we wanted to start our #IPL2023 campaign, but we'll aim to come back stronger in front of our home fans.

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Mark Wood proved to be the chief destroyer with the ball for LSG, registering figures of 4-0-14-5. The Capitals will next face the Gujarat Titans (GT) on Tuesday, April 4, in Delhi.