Calcutta: Delhi DareDevils captain Zaheer Khan was all praise for the youngsters in the side after they notched up their fifth win in seven matches to move to second position in the points table. The DareDevils defeated Gujarat Lions by eight wickets chasing down the 150-run target in 17.2 overs.

"I'm just trying to keep up with the young energy around me. The effort on the field needs to be applauded. The focus is on giving everyone freedom to express themselves and allowing them to play the brand of cricket they best know," Zaheer said at the presentation.

"We take into consideration lot of factors, and go in to each and every game with a specific plan. The guys who are not playing understand that. A happy team is a winning team, and that's what you are seeing."

He was all praise for man of the Match Rishabh Pant, who scored 69 off 40 balls. "Rishabh was amazing... Batting with Quinton would have helped. We have two back-to-back games, so the idea is to just let the boys do what they want to do tonight and then regroup."

Pant described how Rahul Dravid has helped him mature during his career.

"It's a pleasure playing for DareDevils as everyone is supporting a youngster like me. It has been a great experience to work with Rahul Sir... He was our coach in the U-19 World Cup as well... It was also good to bat with Quinton de Kock as the wicket was nice and the ball was coming nicely."

On the other hand, Lions captain Suresh Raina was obviously a dejected man after yet another mediocre show with the bat by his team. "It's really disappointing...

"Even in our previous game, we didn't bat well. The DareDevils had a brilliant opening partnership and the start in their first six overs almost decided the fate of the game.

"There's still a long way to go, so we have to buck up and play well," Raina said.

The skipper also rued the absence of Dwayne Bravo, whose batting and bowling were both missed. "More than his batting, Bravo's bowling with all his variations were missed as well," Raina said.

That the Lions have done well away from home gives Raina confidence going into the forthcoming matches.

"We have done well in away games, so it doesn't really matter that we will be playing a few away matches now," Raina commented.

"Sometimes, we don't know how the pitch is going to play, while at times we have to chase a tricky score.

"We have to prepare accordingly and then see how it goes."

The Lions lead the points table with 12 points from nine matches. This was their third defeat.