"Quite possible that it might be Delhi Capitals' name on the trophy" - Sunil Gavaskar ahead of IPL 2022
Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar has tipped the Delhi Capitals (DC) as one of the favorites to win their maiden IPL title this season. The 72-year-old reckons DC have enough match-winners in their ranks to finally end their trophy drought.
For the IPL 2021 season, Rishabh Pant took over DC's captaincy, replacing the injured Shreyas Iyer. Although Iyer returned in the second half, DC still persisted with Pant as the captain. The 24-year-old repaid the faith shown in him, taking his team to the IPL playoffs.
Speaking to Sports Tak, here's what Sunil Gavaskar had to say about Rishabh Pant, the captain, and his performances for India of late:
"Rishabh Pant's experience as a captain last season will help him and give him a lot of confidence this time. His form in the past one and a half months for the Indian team has been incredible and that would certainly be an advantage for him."
Although DC couldn't bring back a number of their experienced players like Shikhar Dhawan and Ravichandran Ashwin, Gavaskar feels they have built a strong IPL team capable of going all the way this season. He added:
"The kind of team that they have chosen and the options that they have given themselves are really strong. It is quite possible that it might be their name on the trophy this time."
Don't see any impact players in Punjab Kings: Sunil Gavaskar
Analyzing the Punjab Kings team, Sunil Gavaskar stated that they lacked genuine match-winners and players who could turn games with their impact. However, the 72-year-old also opined that the lack of pressure and relatively low expectations might allow the Kings to play a bit more freely as they search for their maiden IPL title. He asserted:
"Punjab Kings have been another team who have failed to win an IPL title so far. Even this season with the kind of team that they have selected, I don't see any impact players there. But this could work in their favour as when there are less expectations, the pressure on the team is also less. And when that happens, the players can play freely without any pressure."
Sunil Gavaskar concluded by saying that if the Kings get some early momentum, they could get on a roll and produce something special. He added:
"Punjab Kings can definitely spring a surprise, but will they win the trophy? I am not sure. However, when you get into a cycle of winning games, anything can happen and that could boost their title aspirations."
With both DC and the Punjab Kings having failed to end their trophy drought so far, it will be interesting to see what strategy they go in with in the IPL 2022 season.
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