The IPL franchise Delhi Capitals has been staying with the likes of Sourav Ganguly as their director of cricket while also having Ricky Ponting as their head coach. However, they have decided to part ways with both of these veterans for the upcoming season.
Former Indian players like Venugopal Rao have been appointed as the new Director of Cricket for the Delhi Capitals while Hemang Badani will be taking over the position of new head coach after Ponting parted ways with the franchise having stepped in as the head coach for 7 seasons.
Venugopal Rao replaces Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian great, from his role on the Delhi side. These decisions have been made by the DC owners to make an advancement in the coaching staff as well as structure, who have not been able to produce a title win in the IPL.
The franchise will also look to renew the contract of Pravin Amre, who will continue to serve as an assistant coach and talent scout back in 2014.
Now, the GMR and JSW groups will swap roles of ownership for either of their IPL and WPL teams every two seasons. Though Venugopal Rao is now the new Director of Cricket for Delhi Capitals in the IPL, Sourav Ganguly will continue in the role of Director of Cricket in the WPL for the next two seasons while he will return as the DOC of Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2027, when JSW Sports will be back in charge of the team.
Hemang Badani in a new role of Head Coach – Triumph to new beginnings!
The former Indian player who has had a long domestic career playing for Tamil Nadu, Hemang Badani has starred in four Tests and 40 matches for India in ODI cricket. They have been very successful in the domestic T20 circuit, as he was part of the Chennai Super Kings camp for the initial years in the IPL.
In a localized T20 franchise-level tournament in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, Badani coached the 3-times title winner of the TNPL, Chepauk Super Gillies. Badani has contributed largely to the development of players like R Sai Kishore, the IPL star and current Tamil Nadu captain.
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Badani returned to the IPL in 2022, when he joined the likes of Sunrisers Hyderabad as their fielding coach and scout in the IPL 2022. Hemang, though not known by many, has had immense experience in international overseas T20 leagues, as he stood as the assistant coach of Sunrisers Eastern Cape for SA20 2023, the inaugural season where they were crowned champions. Also, he coached the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League.
Hemang Badani will assume duties under GMR groups, as he has previously head-coached the Dubai Capitals side in the ILT20, where the franchise finished as the runner-up. Also, the Seattle Orcas, the Major League Cricket team owned by the GMR group, is a franchise where Badani served as a coaching consultant.
