Our performance in the first match will set the tone for us this IPL season,” says Kaif

There has been a big break after the first half of the IPL, but we are fortunate that most of the players have been playing international cricket regularly.

Hyderabad: Delhi Capitals’ Assistant Coach Mohammad Kaif, who has joined the pre-season camp in Dubai recently, expressed that the first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second half of the VIVO IPL 2021 season will be very crucial for the Delhi franchise. 

Kaif said that the first match will set the tone for the rest of the tournament, “There has been a big break after the first half of the IPL, but we are fortunate that most of the players have been playing international cricket regularly. We have a well-balanced side as there are players with international cricket experience and domestic players, who have been putting in good performances. The first match is going to be crucial for us. Our performance in the first match will set the momentum for us.”

The assistant coach added that the roles of some of the players in the Delhi Capitals team may change because of the change in venue from India to UAE.

“We played well in India and now we have to carry forward our performance here in the UAE. The roles for some of the players compared to the first half of the IPL may change because the conditions are different here. We have to start afresh in the second half of the tournament. We are looking to get used to the conditions here in the next few days and also play a couple of practice matches,” said the 40-year-old.

While speaking about Shreyas Iyer’s comeback to the Delhi Capitals side, Kaif said that the batsman’s return is the biggest plus for the team, “There are not many changes to the squad as compared to the first half of the tournament, however the biggest plus for us is that Shreyas Iyer is back in the squad. He is a fantastic player and he’s been playing well for us in the last couple of seasons. We are looking forward to seeing him play this season.”

The Delhi Capitals are set to take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad on 22 September 2021, the IPL 2021 season resumes.