Former India all-rounder Hemang Badani is all set to step into Ricky Ponting’s shoes as the new head coach of Delhi Capitals for the upcoming IPL season, the franchise announced on Thursday.
Badani will be calling the shots for the next two IPL seasons, joined by former Delhi Daredevils player Venugopal Rao, who’s taking on the role of Director of Cricket.
"We're delighted to welcome Venugopal Rao & Hemang Badani in their roles as Director of Cricket (IPL) & Head Coach (IPL) respectively," DC posted on all their social media accounts.
"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," Badani said on his appointment.
The Badani-Rao partnership goes way back
Badani and Venugopal aren’t strangers, they go way back to their days playing together for MRF in the Chennai League.
Now, the dynamic duo will have the freedom to handpick the rest of their coaching team, which should be an exciting project for both.
Both Badani and Venugopal have already been working closely with the franchise’s other ventures, like the Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 and the Seattle Orcas in the US-based Major League Cricket.
Interestingly, both these teams are owned by Kiran Kumar Grandhi, co-owner of Delhi Capitals and a big player from the GMR Group.
On the Delhi Capitals front, the GMR Group co-owns the franchise along with JSW Group. As it stands, the GMR Group is handling the management duties, a role they alternate with JSW every two years.
