Ricky Ponting will no longer coach the Delhi Capitals, concluding his seven-year association with the IPL franchise. The decision to part ways was made by the team’s owners due to the failure to achieve the desired results in recent seasons.
Ponting took over as head coach of Delhi Capitals, then known as Delhi Daredevils, in 2018. His first season saw the team finishing last in the league. However, under his guidance, DC made a remarkable turnaround, qualifying for the playoffs in 2019, 2020, and 2021. The highlight of his tenure was in 2020 when DC reached the IPL finals for the first time, finishing as runners-up to the Mumbai Indians.
Despite this success, the team struggled in the last three seasons, failing to qualify for the playoffs and finishing sixth in IPL 2024 with an even record of seven wins and seven losses.
Delhi Capitals expressed their gratitude towards Ponting in a heartfelt social media post, highlighting his focus on care, commitment, attitude, and effort. Ponting was praised for his hands-on and hands-off approach, helping players grow both as athletes and human beings. The post reminisced about Ponting’s dedication, noting his habit of attending every training session first and leaving last, sprinting out during strategic timeouts, and his nervous nail-biting.
The post also appreciated Ponting’s motivational speeches, hugs, shoulder pats, and fist pumps. It concluded with a nod to Ponting’s typical sign-off: “Let’s leave this here mate, grab a beer, get back to work tomorrow, yeah?” The heartfelt message read, “As you move on as our head coach, we’re finding it incredibly hard to put this down in words. The four things you told us about in every huddle – care, commitment, attitude, and effort – they sum up our seven summers together.”
The remaining coaching staff includes Sourav Ganguly as the director of cricket, Pravin Amre as the assistant coach, James Hopes as the bowling coach, and Biju George as the fielding coach. The search for a new head coach will commence before the mega auction ahead of IPL 2025.
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