Funny things happen in the IPL: Mohammad Kaif on testing Delhi Capitals' bench strength against Mumbai Indians

Dubai, October 1: Delhi Capitals' assistant coach Mohammad Kaif has stated that the franchise's prime objective at the moment is finishing in the top-two spot in the points table in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Saying funny things happen in the IPL, Kaif said the franchise will keep working hard and not getting complacent.

While interacting with media persons in a virtual conference on Friday (October 1) ahead of Delhi Capitals' match against Mumbai Indians, Kaif cleared that the team management isn't going to make too many changes with the side and the players on the bench will have to wait further.

When asked if the team management will look to give opportunities to a few players on the bench in the next few matches since the team is seated at the second spot on the table, Kaif said, "We have not qualified yet. Funny things happen in the IPL and we are very much aware of it. We have to keep getting better as there is always room for improvement. We are sitting at the second spot on the table, but we have to keep working hard. We have to play our best team in every match."

The Delhi franchise, which has registered 8 victories in 11 matches, is just one win away from confirming a place in the playoffs.

IPL 2021, Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals: Preview, Date, IST Time, Live telecast, Live streaming details

The Delhi Capitals, who suffered their first defeat in the UAE leg in their previous game, will be aiming to get back into winning ways when they take on Mumbai at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah on Saturday (October 2).

Kaif expressed that the team's main focus in the match against Mumbai Indians will be to put up a good performance in the batting department.

"The key focus for us in the match against Mumbai Indians will be our batting. Whether we bat first or second, we have to bat well. Mumbai is a great team to play against. All the players are always excited to play against Mumbai Indians. We have performed well collectively this season. Different players are stepping up in different matches and situations. We are lucky to have so many match-winners and hopefully, someone will stand up for the team again in the match against Mumbai," said Kaif.

The Assistant Coach also stressed the importance of having quality Indian players in their team, "Having quality Indian players in a franchise is the key for any franchise. We are lucky to have some quality Indian players and we are also fortunate to have quite a few Indian players who play international cricket. If there are seven Indian players, who have been playing in the IPL regularly and understand their roles and responsibilities, then that's a huge benefit for any team."

While speaking about the change in the pace of the wicket in Sharjah this year, Kaif said that the players should take up the challenge of scoring runs on a difficult pitch, "The pitch in Sharjah has been a bit more on the slower side this year. However, the players must take up the challenge of batting on difficult pitches, where it's tough to score runs. The team which accepts the challenge of scoring runs on a difficult pitch will win."