Delhi Capitals spinner Vipraj Nigam thinks that playing at home doesn’t really give teams a big edge in the IPL. He believes all teams prepare pretty much the same for each venue. He made these remarks before DC’s away game against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Interestingly, several teams, including Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Chennai Super Kings, are having a tough time in their home games this season. This has led to a lot of captains and staff members complaining about home pitches not suiting their strengths. But Nigam took a different approach to the issue.
Home conditions aren’t a big advantage in the IPL, but you do have some idea about what to expect, Nigam said at the pre-match press conference, as quoted by PTI. Familiarity with the weather and ground size helps, but all teams prepare similarly. We played T20 matches here during the UP T20 league, and Sameer [Rizvi] and I know the ground well, so we’ll stick to what worked for us there.
This season, Nigam will play in his hometown for the first time. “There’s always pressure and a bit of nervousness, especially when you’re playing in front of family and your coach,” he shared.
So far this season, Nigam has taken seven wickets and scored 54 runs at a strike rate of 207.69. His best performance was a valuable 39 runs in DC’s win against Lucknow at the start of the season. “I see myself as an all-rounder, and I’m here to help both with the ball and bat when needed,” he said. He also added, “I get a lot of advice from seniors during each game. Some players who were with Lucknow last year are in our team now, and we discuss those details in our meetings to plan better.”