'Expecting good cricket': Purani Dilli 6 coach Vijay Dahiya confident ahead of season opener

New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) Purani Dilli 6 coach Vijay Dahiya expressed confidence ahead of the season opener, stating that he expects the team to play good cricket. Purani Dilli 6 will kick off its Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025 campaign against Outer Delhi Warriors at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

After a strong showing in the 2024 edition, where the team reached the semi-finals, Purani Dilli 6 are gearing up for another title push this season. Dahiya emphasised the importance of the first match, noting that while Purani Dilli 6 has managed to retain its core, there have still been several changes.

"I'm expecting that we’ll play good cricket. It sounds like a cliche to say that, but honestly, every team tries to do the same. The first match is always very important for any team," said Dahiya ahead of the opening match.

"If you look at it, we’ve tried to retain the core of the team, but even then, there have been quite a few changes. So, for any team, it's always a challenge to get all the new players to click together in the very first match," he added.

The coach highlighted that most of the Purani Dilli 6 players are well-acquainted with the conditions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, having played there regularly. He noted that Outer Delhi might be under some pressure after not getting the desired result in their opening match.

"Our all players have been playing in the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Outer Delhi might be in pressure as they didn't get the results in their first match, and we will try to take advantage of that. These are some early days and we will try to find a perfect combination," said Dahiya.

Akash Nangia, Owner of Purani Dilli 6, said, "We are confident going into our first match. The boys are hungry, and the preparation has been top-notch. We’re looking forward to a strong start."

After the first match on Tuesday, there will be a high-stakes encounter against West Delhi Lions on August 7.

On August 8, the team will take on New Delhi Tigers under the lights in a 7:00 PM showdown. Their final group stage fixture is slated for August 27, where they will face South Delhi Superstarz in another prime-time match at 7:00 PM.

Full squad: Vansh Bedi (captain), Rishabh Pant (marquee player), Lalit Yadav, Dev Lakra, Aayush Singh, Samarth Seth, Aarush Malhotra, Sarthak Pal, Agrim Sharma, Vivek Yadav, Yug Gupta, Udhav Mohan, Pranav Pant, Prince Mishra, Rushal Saini, Aaryan Kapoor, Pardeep Parashar, Ekansh Dobal, Aditya Malhotra, Rajneesh Dadar, Ashish Chaurasiya, Kush Nagpal, Dhruv Chauhan, Gaurav Saroha.

--IANS

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