IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals rope in World Cup-winning India pacer as Bowling coach who won IPL with Mumbai Indians

Delhi Capitals have roped in former India pacer Munaf Patel as their bowling coach ahead of the IPL 2025 season.

The franchise made this announcement on Tuesday (Nov 12), highlighting Munaf's role within a revamped support staff that also includes Venugopal Rao as the Director of Cricket and Hemang Badani as the head coach.

The Capitals decided to move on from their long-term head coach, Ricky Ponting and now the focal personnel of the coaching staff are likely to be an Indian core.

The induction of Munaf, a World Cup-winning fast bowler who was also a key player for the Mumbai Indians in their IPL 2013 triumph, marks a significant addition to the Delhi Capitals. His journey in cricket spans across representing India in all formats and showcasing his skills in 63 IPL matches. During his IPL tenure, Munaf played for teams like Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians, and Gujarat Lions, securing 74 wickets. The pacer, who hails from Ikhar in Gujarat, is tipped to be a crucial figure in the Capitals setup.

As part of the new support team, Munaf is set to fill the vacancy left by James Hopes, bringing a fresh perspective to the bowling department. Munaf's extensive experience in various formats and IPL are expected to provide much-needed positive change in the Capitals bowling unit.

The 2018 IPL finalists have retained four players ahead of the mega auction. South African batter Tristan Stubbs is retained, while India's spin duo Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav were also included in the retention list. Bengal's talented wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel was also kept as the uncapped player.

After releasing their captain Rishabh Pant, DC are expected to find a new leader for the next IPL cycle. The elusive title is still eluding the Capitals and the hope is to turn the fortunes around in the next couple of years.