Delhi assistant coach blames luck after failing to qualify for IPL 2025 playoffs
Delhi Capitals assistant coach Matthew Mott has blamed ill luck for Delhi Capitals' failure to qualify for the Indian Premier League playoffs this season. Speaking at the pre-match press conference before their final game of the tournament, Mott said that the team did not have the rub of the green in the second half of the season.Delhi Capitals started their tournament in style this season and were primed to finish in the top four. Delhi won 5 out of their first six matches of the tournament and from there crashed and burned, winning just one out of the next 7.advertisementIPL 2025 | Delhi Capitals' Downfall: Explained
Too much tinkering with the batting order resulted in some really poor performances, which resulted in them losing by big margins against teams like Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians late in the season.Mott said that Delhi had great luck at the start of the season where they managed to bring home matches despite being in terrible positions. Mott argued that the luck flipped on the side later in the tournament, which resulted in several poor performances."I think throughout the second half of the campaign, we have not had the luck that we had in the first four or five games, which can often be the case in T20s," Mott said in the pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of the clash against Punjab Kings.advertisement"Definitely got the rub of the green in the first few games we played, and we are aware of that, and for us, we just need to be a little better next year as a unit. It's hard not to sit back and think what it could have been," he added.The former England head coach said the Punjab game gave Delhi a chance to sign off on a positive note and check out their young batters Sameer Rizvi and Abishek Porel, who have once again shown promise this season."There's still plenty of motivation (to play this last game). Yes, we had a disappointing end to what was an encouraging campaign. We obviously came out of the box in the early stage, won a lot of games early, but the second half has been patchy. So, I think it's an opportunity for us to sign off on a positive note,' Mott said.The assistant coach was asked about Axar Patel's availability for the final game of the tournament. Patel did not play the last game against Mumbai after coming down with illness. Mott said that he was not sure if Axar will play the final game of the season as well.'The honest answer is, I don't fully know. He's not training today. But we'll find out when we get back there today. Obviously, he wasn't well the other day. He's had a pretty rugged time with a few different little niggles and injuries. I'm sure he's motivated to come out and play, but we'll probably know a little bit more tonight when we go back and see the medical staff,' the coach concluded.Must Watch
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