The left-hander has been instrumental in DC's fine form this year
Delhi Capitals have had few noteworthy campaigns in the Indian Premier League (IPL) before. They had reached the play-offs three seasons in a row between 2019 and 2021 which also includes a final appearance in IPL 2020.
However, they have not been close to their IPL 2025 where DC have looked assured in every department. Their batting performances have exceptional even when their top-order had Jake Fraser-McGurk floundering. Among the top performers is Bengal left-hander Abishek Porel who has amassed 225 runs from eight matches at a strike rate of 146.
The 22-year-old played a key role in completing a double over Lucknow Super Giants with a fine 51 off 36 balls at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
When asked about his future goals, Porel felt that the immediate target is lifting the IPL trophy with DC.
“The plan for the future is obviously to play for India, play for the national team for many years. But right now, what matters more to me is the IPL trophy; how we can do better, how I can contribute to making DC IPL champions,” Abishek said in the post-match press conference on Wednesday.
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Porel hailed the encouragement and guidance he received everyone in the team including KL Rahul, head coach Hemang Badani and mentor Kevin Pietersen.
“I had a couple of bad outings, scored a zero in the first game, and was feeling the pressure, so they all backed me: ‘We are with you, don’t worry.’ KP backed me, Hemang sir backed me, the captain backed me, KL [Rahul] bhai always backs me, he reminded me, ‘You did well against LSG [Rahul’s former team] last year].’ It motivates me,” the Bengal batter said.
Porel revealed how the team’s lead spinner Kuldeep Yadav motivated him to do better when he had self-doubt.
“Kuldeep bhai keeps telling me, ‘You are a very good batsman, you have great timing.’ This is very important for a player. Even if you don’t back yourself, these people are always backing me. This motivates me to play with freedom and play to my strengths, and I am getting the results,” Porel said.
Delhi Capitals are currently second in the table after eight matches with six wins, two losses and a Net Run Rate of +0.657.
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