IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals Choose Hemang Badani over Sourav Ganguly as new head coach

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Delhi Capitals have made a bold move ahead of the IPL 2025 season by appointing Hemang Badani as their new head coach, choosing him over cricket legend Sourav Ganguly.

While Ganguly, a former India captain, will continue to serve the franchise in his newly expanded role as Director of Cricket, Badani has been tasked with leading the team on the field.

The development comes after Delhi Capitals reportedly picked Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal as their three of the five retentions ahead of the IPL 2025 Auction next month.

Badani, who represented India in 4 Tests and 40 ODIs, comes with a wealth of coaching experience. Over the past few years, he has built an impressive coaching portfolio, working with Sunrisers Hyderabad as both a fielding and batting coach from 2021 to 2023.

His leadership has also been crucial in other T20 leagues, coaching the Jaffna Kings to back-to-back Lankan Premier League titles and guiding the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to victory in the inaugural SA20 tournament. Most recently, Badani led the Dubai Capitals to the ILT20 final, further solidifying his coaching credentials.

Upon his appointment, Badani expressed his gratitude and excitement: "It's my absolute honour to be joining Delhi Capitals, and I'm deeply grateful to our owners for trusting me with the job. With the mega auction around the corner, my job, in collaboration with the rest of our coaching staff, is cut out. I can't wait to get started."

While Ganguly was widely speculated to take the head coach role, the Delhi Capitals management has opted to utilize his vast cricketing knowledge in a broader capacity. As Director of Cricket, Ganguly will now oversee all cricket operations across the Capitals' various teams, including their IPL side, the WPL team, and the Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 league. Ganguly first joined Delhi Capitals as an advisor in 2019 before returning as Director of Cricket after his stint as BCCI President.

Venugopal Rao, another former India cricketer, has been appointed as the franchise's Director of Cricket for the IPL. Rao, who played 16 ODIs for India, has also been an integral part of the Capitals family, serving as a mentor and director for the Dubai Capitals.

The new appointments reflect Delhi Capitals' commitment to success, with a mix of young and experienced talent leading their campaign into IPL 2025. With the mega auction fast approaching, the franchise is poised for a significant overhaul, and under the leadership of Badani and Rao, the team will aim to bounce back stronger next season.