Former South African batsman Colin Ingram is delighted to be back to the cricket’s mega-fest - Indian Premier League (IPL) again having last played in the IPL back in 2011 for the Delhi Daredevils.
Ingram has admitted that he has improved a lot as a T20 player since his Kolpak move, as he has now become a T20 gun-for-hire having featured in the Big Bash League, Caribbean Premier League and Pakistan Super League over the years.
With 227 T20 games under his belt, Ingram averages an impressive 31.10 with 5910 runs at a strike-rate of 140.5, which drew the attention of Delhi Capitals and the franchise splurged Rs 6.4 crores for the left-hander in the IPL Auction 2019 to acquire his service for the 12th edition of the tournament.
The 33-year-old also made a brilliant comeback to the lucrative T20 league after a gap of eight years, as he contributed 47 runs off 32 balls with seven fours and a six to DC’s 37-run win over Mumbai Indians in their tournament opener on Sunday.
On Sunday, 24 March, Ingram told media, “I have been lining up this move to IPL for a couple of years. I was tied up playing six months in SA and six months of County cricket. I felt a year and a half ago that it was the right time to get out and get into the world of T20 cricket.”
He further added, “IPL was always something that I want to get back to. I have improved a lot as a player. The hype and buzz around cricket in India is amazing and it’s great to be back to it again.”
Meanwhile, Ingram arrived in the country only a couple of days ago but he shares a great camaraderie with the team especially with Shikhar Dhawan (43) -with who he added crucial 83 runs for the third wicket to help DC to open their IPL 2019 campaign on winning note.
Ingram signed off by saying, “Losing early wickets is not ideal in T20 cricket. My partnership with Dhawan was vital at that time. I have only been here a couple of days and it’s great to build relations quickly. I enjoyed the partnership with Shikhi and we got to know each other quite quickly. There were a few smiles and we relaxed each other. We gave a chance for the innings to explode.”
(With Cricketnext Inputs)
