Less pressure on players at closed-door IPL 2020, reckons Delhi Capitals' Ricky Ponting

With Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 kickstarting from Satursday, former Australian skipper and now the head coach of Delhi Capitals said that there would be less pressure on players of performing as the matches will be played behind closed doors in front of empty stands.

Defending champions Mumbai Indians take on Chennai Super Kings in the season opener in Abu Dhabi, whereas Kings XI Punjab will lock horns with Kings XI Punjab on Sunday. Ahead of their match against KXIP, the DC head coach said that less atmosphere and noise create lesser pressure on players.

"The fact that there is no crowds on the ground, I actually think that probably puts less pressure on the players," Ponting said in a virtual pre-season press conference from Dubai.

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"The less noise and everything there probably creates less pressure," he said.

"Playing in front of an empty stadium will be different ... but once we start I think it is going to be about our group creating their own atmosphere and own energy on the ground and not expecting the crowds actually in the stadium to lift us up and anything like that."

However, Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer said the team would miss the roar of the home crowd and general fans in the stadiums.

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"Fans obviously when they are in the stands they give us that boost and the adrenaline subsequently. So we obviously we would be missing them out there in the stadium," said Iyer.

"The cheer, the roar and the support that we used to get would be missing."

All eight IPL franchises have been living inside bio-secure bubbles, as per the SOPs handed over by the BCCI.

Meanwhile, DC will look to perform better than the last season where they finished third in the IPL 2019 table.