Aussies Should Play IPL Phase 2: DC Coach Ponting

Former Australia captain and Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting opined that the rescheduled Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in the UAE in September-October could help his country’s players prepare better for the T20 World Cup later this year.

Australia has recently suffered stunning reversals in T20I assignments in the West Indies and Bangladesh. It lost the five-match series in the Caribbean 1-4 before going down to Bangladesh by an identical margin. Ponting said that it is important for the Aussies to “get back into the groove” ahead of the T20 World Cup and the Ashes.

It is to be remembered that a number of players, including David Warner, Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, and Glenn Maxwell, had opted out of the tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh. “Those guys haven’t played for three to four months now. They need to get back into the groove of playing high-quality cricket against the best players in the world,” Ponting told SEN Radio while chatting with Australia Test captain Tim Paine.

“There is no doubt that it is the best preparation – playing in probably the strongest domestic T20 tournament in those exact conditions. I am not saying it just because I want some of the Australian players at Delhi,” added Ponting, who has been at the helm of the IPL franchise since 2018.