Behind the scenes with the Delhi Daredevils

All cricket fans are thrilled during this time of the year. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is about a week away and the excitement levels for the eleventh edition of the tournament are at their peak. The fans follow their team's journey very closely but they miss out on a few minor details. A cricketer's hard work is displayed on the cricketing field but a lot of it goes unseen behind the scenes.

As a fan, one is intrigued to know what his/her favourite cricketer is doing before the IPL. All the IPL teams have been practising at their respective home stadiums. The Delhi Daredevils had their first practice session at the Feroz Shah Kotla yesterday. Earlier today, The Delhi Daredevils players had a photo shoot which would help them connect with the fans via their social media page and Daikin's social media page.

Daikin India is the title sponsor of the Delhi Daredevils. The GMR Group-owned IPL franchisee first inked a sponsorship with Daikin India in 2015. They have continued to ink the deal year after year. Daikin India will be the lead sponsor of the Delhi Daredevils for the fourth consecutive year. Daikin India recently launched an AR filter for Facebook which was tried by many players today.

The author had an interaction with various players such as Rishabh Pant, Amit Mishra, Shreyas Iyer, Naman Ojha, Jayant Yadav, Manjot Kalra, Prithvi Shaw, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Lamichhane and Vijay Shankar. All the cricketers had a busy schedule while shooting. They had to go from getting clicked to saying dialogues in a real quick time.

Nepal's recent sensation Sandeep Lamichhane was asked to share his likes and dislikes on camera. Naman Ojha thanked various Daredevils fans who sent their best wishes for the players on social media. The wicketkeeper-batsman also motivated the fans by telling them his favourite quote. The video and photo shoot is expected to be up on the Delhi Daredevils social media handles.

In a chat with the young Vijay Shankar, he revealed how he loves to win games for his side. He is a keen learner and always thinks of improving his game. He believes that for a cricketer it is important to stay as fit as he can. He also answered the most common question of the Nidahas Trophy final. He believes that it is always difficult to come out of situations like these but one should forget these things as they keep happening in a cricketer's life.

The overseas players will arrive later for the Daredevils. Trent Boult is currently playing a test against England in New Zealand. Kagiso Rabada, Glenn Maxwell and Chris Morris are playing in an infamous test series between South Africa and Australia. Colin Munro, Jason Roy, Daniel Christian and Albie Morkel will also arrive soon. The Delhi Daredevils had their first practice session yesterday at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi.

The Gautam Gambhir led side will go start their campaign against the Kings XI Punjab on 8th April at Mohali. They will play their first home game against the same opposition on 23rd April.