IPL 2021: We won't 'underestimate' any team, says Anrich Nortje ahead of DC vs PBKS

Delhi Capitals (DC) fast bowler Anrich Nortje said his side is not going to underestimate any team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Saturday.

On the eve of DC's IPL 2021 fixture against Punjab Kings (PBKS), Nortje said that "hopefully" Delhi will produce their 'A-game' on Sunday even though they are coming off a three-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their previous match.

DC, who have a young captain in Rishabh Pant this season, were restricted at 147 for 8 in 20 overs by RR in Mumbai on Thursday. RR chased down the target with two balls to spare.

"There's no team that's got a bad team so every side is really competitive, and it can come off for anyone on any day. We are definitely not going to underestimate anyone and hopefully, we can bring our A-game," said Nortje to DC's media team on Saturday.

Punjab have a 15-11 lead in the head-to-head against Delhi in the IPL. Both the teams are yet to win the IPL trophy yet and will aim to change that this season.

When asked about the changes in the Delhi squad, Nortje said," We are unfortunately missing Shreyas (Iyer), but we definitely have a great combination of players. We have got a great bowling line-up as well. It's just about picking the right team on the right wicket and conditions. We definitely have a lot of options in our bowling line-up, which is really nice to have and hopefully we can make the best of the conditions and the different players that we have got."

On landing in Mumbai last week, Nortje tested negative for COVID-19 and had begun his mandatory seven-day quarantine. However, on being tested again, he returned with a false positive result and was made to self-isolate away from the team's bio-secure bubble. However, after testing negative thrice, the South African pacer re-joined the Delhi squad on April 16 (Friday).

"Ten days in the room was quite a lot for me. It was nice to get out, run around and bowl a bit. I really enjoyed it and hopefully, I can build it up from here on," added Nortje.