Delhi Capitals middle order batter Rilee Rossouw expressed his excitement to play alongside their skipper David Warner in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League. The South African batter returned to IPL following his success with the proteas and franchise leagues around the globe.
The 33-year-old was picked up by Delhi Capitals during the IPL auction 2023 for an INR 4.60 crores and made his debut for the franchise against Lucknow Super Giants, where his team lost by 50 runs in the opening encounter.
“It was fantastic to bat with a legend of the game. And to see how he goes about his business was something to behold,” Rilee Rossouw said.
Rilee Rossouw made a stunning comeback to International cricket when he returned to South Africa’s national team in 2022, Rossouw slammed a couple of centuries, including a century in India. He became the first South African player to score a century in a T20 World Cup.
Speaking on the team’s loss, against Lucknow Super Giants in their first match, Rossouw said that 190 runs were too high to chase on this kind of pitch.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win. It was a bit too much to chase down over 190 on that wicket. It’s been fantastic to be back in the IPL. There’s a great buzz around the ground,” Rilee Rossouw added.
Rilee Rossouw had a decent outing with the bat during his debut, where he scored 30 runs from 20 balls before being dismissed by Ravi Bishnoi.
With 194 runs to chase, Delhi Capitals started off the innings brilliantly before Mark Wood started to fire with raw pace and bounce, dismissing Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh in two consecutive balls, then went on to pick his maiden 5 wicket haul in the Indian Premier League, which eventually helped LSG to win 50 run win over Delhi Capitals.
We Will Strive To Get A Victory In The Next One – Rilee Rossouw
Rilee Rossouw believes the team can make comeback in their home conditions, and reckoned that it is a long tournament and they would try to do things better on the field and also ruined their team’s missed opportunities in the field.
“It’s a long tournament and we’ll think about what we could’ve done better. We’ll strive to get a victory in the next one. We can be better on the field. It would’ve been a completely different game if we had taken our chances,” Rilee Rossouw added.
Delhi Capitals will take on defending champions Gujarat Titans in their second game on their home ground in Delhi on April 4.