Ricky Ponting Departs from Delhi Capitals After Seven-Year Stint as Head Coach

Ricky Ponting, the legendary Australian cricketer and World Cup-winning captain, will no longer continue as the head coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals (DC), as announced ahead of the upcoming mega auction for the 2025 season.

According to ESPNCricinfo, Ponting’s departure comes after the franchise did not achieve the desired results under his leadership, prompting the owners to make this decision.

The official Twitter handle of Delhi Capitals confirmed the news on Saturday, stating, “After 7 seasons, Delhi Capitals has decided to part ways with Ricky Ponting. It’s been a great journey, Coach! Thank you for everything.”

Since Ponting took over as coach in 2018, when the franchise was known as Delhi Daredevils, Delhi qualified for the playoffs three times—in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Their best performance under his tenure was reaching the finals in 2020, where they narrowly lost to the Mumbai Indians (MI).

However, in the last three seasons, Delhi Capitals failed to advance to the playoffs. This year, they finished in sixth place, narrowly missing out on the playoffs due to net run rate, winning and losing seven matches.

Despite this, the season had its positives, with captain Rishabh Pant returning to form after a serious accident, and several young players like Jake Fraser McGurk, Tristan Stubbs, Abhishek Porel, and Rasikh Salam Dar showing promise as future stars for Delhi Capitals.

In a social media post, Delhi Capitals expressed their gratitude to Ricky Ponting, highlighting his impact on the team’s culture and performance over the years. The post acknowledged Ponting’s dedication, leadership qualities, and memorable moments shared with the team.

The remaining coaching staff of Delhi Capitals includes director of cricket Sourav Ganguly, assistant coach Pravin Amre, bowling coach James Hopes, and fielding coach Biju George. (ANI)