Is Ahmedabad unlucky for Ricky Ponting? Legendary Delhi Capitals coach's memory revealed

In 3rd and 5th places respectively on the IPL 2021 points table, the Delhi Capitals and the Kolkata Knight Riders will go head to head at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on April 29. The Indian Premier League's move to Ahmedabad and the change in conditions has not played out well for the Delhi Capitals who lost their first match at the venue by a heartbreaking 1-run margin. However, there may be some more unlucky DC lore associated with the ground, in particular, for coach Ricky Ponting.

Delhi Capitals team 2021 look for change of fate in Ahmedabad

As they take the field against Eoin Morgan and his struggling Kolkata Knight Riders, the Delhi Capitals will be hoping to improve their fortunes at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Despite a herculean 53* off 25 from Windies batsman Shimron Hetmeyer and a half-century from skipper Rishabh Pant, DC lost out on what would have been their fourth win on the trot by just one run. While just a single match lost is not enough to give birth to a superstition regarding the Delhi Capitals' luck at the venue, the team does have an interesting history here.

Not so much the Delhi Capitals team 2021, but rather their coach Ricky Ponting is sure to have some bitter memories of the Motera Ground. Back when it was still the Sardar Patel Stadium, the Motera stadium played host to a particularly high octane quarter-final match between the hosts, India, and Australia. Coming into the 2011 World Cup, Australia had won the last three seasons of the tournament in a row — two of which had come under the captaincy of the great Ricky Ponting who was looking to put his name in the history books by becoming the only three-time WC winning captain.

However, even as he notched up a brilliant century, Ponting's dreams were dashed as Australia were knocked out of the tournament by India. The 104 off 118 proved to be Ponting's last ODI century ever, as he stepped down from captaincy after the country's World Cup defeat and retired within the next year. Interestingly, had it not been for Ravichandran Ashwin — a part of the Delhi Capitals at the IPL 2021 — who took Ponting's wicket in that match, the legendary batsman may have led his team to the final and seen his dreams come to fruition.

DC vs KKR live streaming and telecast details

The DC vs KKR will begin at 7:30 PM IST and will be televised on the Star Sports Network's Star Sports 1 SD/HD and Star Sports 3 SD/HD channels. The match will also be available on Star Sports' regional channels like Star Sports 1 Hindi SD/HD, Star Sports Tamil, Star Sports Telugu, Star Sports Kannada and Star Sports Bangla. Fans can also enjoy the DC vs KKR live streaming on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website. The live scores for the match will be available on the IPL website and social media handles.

Image Credits: Delhi Capitals Twitter