Sourav Ganguly Highlights Mukesh Kumar As Delhi Capitals' Best In IPL 2024

The Delhi Capitals concluded their IPL 2024 campaign on a positive note, securing their seventh victory of the season against the Lucknow Super Giants by a margin of 19 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday (May 14).

The match saw Delhi setting a formidable total of 208 runs and then successfully restricting Rajasthan to 189 runs to give themselves an outside chance of making it to the playoffs if the teams above them in the points table don't do well.

In a post-match discussion with JioCinema on Match Centre Live, Delhi Capitals' Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly, shed light on the season's journey. He praised the comeback of captain Rishabh Pant and lauded the performances of key players like Mukesh Kumar, Rasikh Salam, Tristan Stubbs, and Jake Fraser-McGurk.

Highlighting Pant's leadership and resilience, Ganguly expressed optimism about the young captain's future. "Pant is a young captain, he'll learn with time. The way he returned from injury to play a full season; we had our doubts during the offseason.

Indian players are crucial, especially since the TATA IPL shifted to 10 teams. I am very happy for him that he returned to play so well over a full season. He has all my well-wishes for whatever is next. With time, he'll become a better captain," Ganguly stated. He praised Pant's instinctual decision-making on the field and anticipated further improvement in his captaincy skills.

Discussing the standout performances of Indian bowlers Mukesh Kumar and Rasikh Salam, Ganguly shared his admiration for their growth and impact. "You've seen Rasikh's development over time. The more matches he played, the better he got. It's not easy to bowl on the Delhi wicket.

"Mukesh has been our best bowler this season. He bowls all the difficult overs, whether at the start or at the death. There has been no match this season where we didn't need his bowling in the death," he remarked, emphasising the critical role played by these bowlers in the team's strategy.

Young Overseas Talents

Ganguly also commended the young overseas talents, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Tristan Stubbs, for their significant contributions in their debut IPL season. "Both players are really young, one is 22 and the other is 23. This was the first year where both players played a full IPL season, and both have shown incredible improvement," Ganguly noted.

He highlighted the adaptability and skills of these players, particularly Stubbs' proficiency against spin, which added value to the team.