Delhi Capitals (DC) all-rounder Akshar Patel revisited the “happy memories” from the last Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) season in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the drastic difference in weather conditions between UK and UAE before DC’s first game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on September 22 in Dubai.
The Delhi Capitals (DC) were the leading side in the IPL 2021 before Chennai Super Kings pushed them to the second spot after their first game of the second phase in the UAE against Mumbai India.
In the IPL 2020 in the UAE, DC reached its maiden IPL final and Akshar said they are looking to repeat its performance in the ongoing season and go a step further in the second leg of the IPL 14 in the UAE.
Patel said in a media release: “When it was announced that the second half of the tournament will be held in the UAE, I thought about our performance the last time we were here. We have happy memories from that tournament as we reached our first-ever IPL final. We are looking to repeat our performance and hopefully, just go one step further in the final this season.”
On his personal goals for the remainder of the IPL 2021, the spinner said, “My personal goals are always aligned with the team goals. I always think about what the team needs and then set my personal goals accordingly. I always carry out my preparations according to the team’s requirements. And personally, I just look to get better with every match in every season.”
Meanwhile, Akshar, who was part of India’s Test squad on their recent England tour, has further opened up about the drastic change in weather conditions in the UK and UAE.
He said, “It’s been a drastic change for us as far as the weather is concerned. It was quite cold in England and now we are getting used to the heat here.”
The DC bowler signed off by saying, “When we stood on our balconies during quarantine, we got an idea about the heat, but we got to know the full extent of the weather conditions when we started practicing in the nets. We are looking to get used to the conditions in the next 2-3 days.”
(With PTI Inputs)
