"He's hitting ball well...": Delhi Capitals' Kushagra on Rishabh Pant's form ahead of IPL 2024

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 19 : Delhi Capitals (DC) batter Kumar Kushagra opened up on star wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant's form in the training camp, stating his intention to win matches for the franchise ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
DC are gearing up for their IPL season opener against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
The players are putting in the hard yards during the training camp in pre-season camp in Visakhapatnam under head coach Ricky Ponting. The training camp also features a pool of promising talents like Kushagra, Sumit Kumar and Ricky Bhui.
Ahead of the season opener, Kushagra, who experienced batting with superstar wicketkeeper batter Pant during the training sessions, talked about the skipper's form and the advice he got from the left-handed batter regarding his game.
"I batted with Rishabh Pant for the first time and he gave me a lot of input on my game. He was playing single-handed shots and hitting sixes. He's hitting the ball well and hopefully, we'll win matches for Delhi Capitals together," Kushagra said, according to a press release.
Kushagra, who has scored 1245 runs in 19 first-class matches, spoke about being part of an IPL team for the first time in his career.
"I am very excited to be a part of the IPL for the first time. I will get a chance to play with so many big international players, whom I have grown up watching. However, my main aim would be to win games for Delhi Capitals," he added.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Sumit Kumar, who has scored 574 runs and taken 43 wickets in T20s, spoke about his journey before bagging an IPL contract.
"It's been a long journey for me since I started playing cricket at the age of seven. I've been playing well in domestic cricket in the last three years and I was hoping for an IPL contract. It's great to join the Delhi Capitals this year," he said.
While Ricky Bhui who has amassed 1497 runs in 62 T20s, feels that he's peaking at the right time and is aiming to use it to win matches for the franchise.
"I am going into the tournament with a lot of runs under my belt and I feel I am peaking at the right time as well. I never imagined I would get to play the IPL at home. I'm very much familiar with the conditions here and it will be great to play in front of my family and friends. I'm looking to win as many matches as possible for Delhi Capitals," he said.
DC IPL 2024 squad: Rishabh Pant (c), Pravin Dubey, David Warner, Vicky Ostwal, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, Abishek Porel, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Lungi Ngidi, Lalit Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Mitchell Marsh, Ishant Sharma, Yash Dhull, Mukesh Kumar, Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs, Ricky Bhui, Kumar Kushagra, Rasikh Dar, Jhye Richardson, Sumit Kumar, Shai Hope, Swastik Chhikara.