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Ricky Ponting, Sourav Ganguly to stay as DC coach and director for next IPL after Jindal ends speculations
Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly will continue as DC head coach and director of cricket respectively for the next season of IPL.
The 2023 IPL season was a difficult one for the Delhi Capitals, who lost their first 5 games of the tournament and never recovered, finishing ninth in the 10-team league. More than the number of losses — nine in total — it was the margin of defeat that became a cause for concern for the Delhi fans, as their batting was far and away the worst in the entire tournament from a statistical perspective.
The humbling defeats thrust questions upon head coach Ricky Ponting and Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly, as rumours made the rounds that the DC hierarchy would be looking to move on from the former Australian and Indian captains as part of their support staff. However, DC never had intentions of replacing Ponting, and owner of the franchise Parth Jindal staved off any concerns about him being replaced.
“Preparations for next year's IPL are underway here at Delhi Capitals, alongside Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting,” wrote Jindal in his Tweet. “We assure the fans that Kiran (Kumar Grandhi) and I are working hard to get back to where we want this franchise to be and that is right at the very top.”
Ponting joined the Delhi side ahead of the 2018 IPL season, replacing current India coach Rahul Dravid. While the team finished bottom that season, the promise was clear to see with young stars such as Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and Kagiso Rabada gaining more experience.
The Delhi franchise would rebrand ahead of the 2019 season after Jindal’s JSW purchased a 50% stake, becoming the Capitals. The new identity brought immediate success, as Delhi qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2012, under the leadership of Iyer. They would enjoy greater success over the next two seasons, as they reached their first finals in 2020 and finished top of the table in 2021. That Delhi team is often considered to have had a perfect balance in their squad, and many fans regret not seeing the franchise’s first trophy being lifted in that period.
A well-constructed Delhi team was then disassembled ahead of the 2022 mega-auction, which saw them lose the captaincy of Iyer, as well as Shikhar Dhawan and Rabada amongst other significant players. 2022 saw them narrowly miss out on the playoffs, losing the final league game to Mumbai. The injuries to Pant in January 2023 meant DC never found balance in their 2023 lineup, as they used nearly their entire contingent of players across the tournament.
Delhi fans questioned Ponting’s tactical approach this year, but the former Aussie captain, one of the most successful international captains of all time, certainly has credit in the bank to show that he can take Delhi to where Jindal and company would like them to be. The return of Pant, the franchise captain and star player, will certainly be a boost, as will the auction where they can fill the gaps in the squad for upcoming seasons.
