IPL 2021: Suresh Raina is Almost Like a New Recruit for CSK - Ricky Ponting

Ahead of their IPL 2021 match against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday in Mumbai, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting assessed their opponents saying Suresh Raina will be like a new recruit for them. Raina has returned to CSK after missing IPL 2020 for personal reasons. Raina had flown to UAE with the squad but returned home.

IPL 2021 Full Coverage | IPL 2021 Schedule | IPL 2021 Points Tally

“The Chennai Super Kings have been one of the most successful teams in the history of the IPL. They have got a great leader and a great squad of players. They have always managed to play consistent cricket. Last year, they were probably disappointed with the way their season worked out, but I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that Suresh Raina wasn’t there for the entire tournament. He comes back to the squad this year, which is almost like a new recruit for them,” he said.

FOLLOW LIVE: MI vs RCB Live Score, IPL 2021, Match 1

“The CSK have got a good squad of players and they’ve got lots of flexibility and a lot of options. But we’ve got a great squad as well and we want to build on last season. I have said to the boys that it’s not about last season, but there are a lot of positives that we can take from the way we have played in the last couple of seasons.”

Ponting said while the focus is on the first game, Delhi are aiming at bigger things.

“Although we’ve got a slightly different squad, we expect to play better as a group and achieve some better results. So, for us, Chennai Super Kings is just game one. We need to approach it with the right attitude and play well. Hopefully, win that game and move onto the second game. But we know that we’ll have to play well to win,” he said.

Earlier, Ponting had said Suresh Raina was the one to watch out for from the Chennai Super Kings. The left-hander missed the last edition but is the highest scorer for the franchise in the IPL and the second-highest overall.

“Suresh Raina is one of the leading run scorers in IPL history and he plays a really important role for Chennai Super Kings in the middle order. Just his experience and the partnerships that him and (MS) Dhoni and Faf (du Plessis) and a lot of their senior players have created has been a reason the Chennai Super Kings have been one of the really powerful teams in IPL history,” stated the former Australian captain.

Get all the IPL news and Cricket Score here

• chennai super kings
• Delhi Capitals
• IPL 2021
• ricky ponting
• suresh raina