Delhi Capitals have confirmed the departure of Ricky Ponting after seven years at the club.
The Delhi Capitals confirmed on Saturday that Ricky Ponting has parted ways with the franchise. The Capitals posted a statement on Ponting’s departure, thanking him for his services to the franchise. Ponting joined DC in 2018 and helped the side reach its maiden IPL final in 2020.
Ricky Ponting during his time at Delhi Capitals(Delhi Capitals-Twitter)
Over his seven-season tenure, Ponting’s leadership saw a mix of highs and lows. In his debut season, the team finished at the bottom of the league standings; however, under his guidance, DC bounced back and qualified for the playoffs in 2019, 2020, and 2021. The pinnacle of Ponting’s tenure came in 2020 when DC reached the IPL finals for the first time, ultimately finishing as runners-up to the Mumbai Indians.
Despite these successes, the team has struggled in recent years, failing to qualify for the playoffs in the last three seasons. The 2024 IPL season saw DC finish in sixth place, with an even split of seven wins and seven losses.
According to ESPNCricinfo, this inconsistency led the franchise to part ways with Ponting and seek new leadership to steer the team toward future success.
The DC penned an emotional farewell note for Ponting.
DC’s post for Ponting
“As you move on as our head coach, we’re finding it incredibly hard to put this down in words,” DC wrote in the post on X.
“The four things you told us about in every huddle – care, commitment, attitude and effort – they sum up our seven summers together. Seven summers of you being hands-on, but also hands-off, so that we could become better. As athletes, yes, but more importantly, as human beings. Seven summers of you reaching every training session first, and leaving last. Seven summers of you sprinting out of the dugout during strategic timeouts, and biting your nails off until there were none left.
“Seven summers of your dressing room speeches – the speeches, Oh! (Separate post for that loading) Seven summers of your hugs, shoulder pats and fist pumps for us all – newcomer, superstar… and everyone in-between. Thank you for everything, Coach! Like, you often close out, ‘Let’s leave this here mate, grab a beer, get back to work tomorrow, yeah?'” wrote the Capitals further.
The current coaching staff for Delhi Capitals includes director of cricket Sourav Ganguly, assistant coach Pravin Amre, bowling coach James Hopes, and fielding coach Biju George.
