Delhi Capitals’ young leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichanne believes that the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will provide him with a great opportunity to shine against the best players. The Nepalese bowler, who will represent the franchise for the second year running, spoke on the back of Delhi Capitals’ second internal friendly T20 match which was held on Wednesday at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. The JSW and GMR co-owned franchise organised the match to prepare themselves for their opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which takes place on Sunday, 24th March 2019 against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.
Coming off an impressive Big Bash League season in Australia, Lamichanne said keeping things simple and working hard have been the keys to success for him. “It is sometimes a struggle to not be playing competitive international cricket or not playing at all when I go back home. But whenever I get the opportunity to play in such leagues, I like to keep things simple and I know that I have to work hard because I don’t get these facilities in Nepal. So whenever I have the chance to play here in IPL and in other leagues, I only focus on performing to the best of my abilities,” said the 18-year-old.
The young spinner, being a huge fan of Shane Warne, said that he wants to follow the example of the Australian legend. “I have always admired and idolised Shane Warne the most, and fortunately for me, IPL has given me the chance to meet him. I met him last season where he gave me certain tips to improve my bowling, which also gave me a huge boost in my career. However, I believe, the most important advice that he gave me was to make sure that I bowl with a big and brave heart,” Lamichanne said.
Speaking on the effect IPL 2018 has had on his career, the youngster said, “Last year was a very special year for me as I got the chance to play in the biggest cricket league in the world. IPL 2018 will always be a special memory for me in my career, and I believe that it is the perfect platform for players like me who come from the non-Test playing nations. We now also have Samuel Badree with the team, who himself has been one of the top leg-spinners for the West Indies so I am looking forward to perform under his guidance.”
38-year-old leg-spinner Samuel Badree oversaw his first training session as a part of the Delhi Capitals team management in New Delhi on Wednesday. The man from Trinidad and Tobago joins the Capitals as the spin bowling coach.
Wednesday evening saw Delhi Capitals’ squad take part in their secondinternal friendly T20 match. Hanuma Vihari (68 off 49 balls), Shikhar Dhawan (49 off 34 balls) and Rishabh Pant (48 off 34 balls) had a superb outing with the bat, while Harshal Patel (3-22) and Rahul Tewatia (2-25) clicked with the ball.