Sourav Ganguly has reportedly expressed his willingness to become the new Delhi Capitals head coach as the franchise parted ways with Ricky Ponting. The Australian was relieved of his services after seven years at the helm after the franchise finished sixth in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, with seven wins from 14 matches. Delhi Capitals, one of the few teams to have never won the IPL, failed to make it to the playoffs for three consecutive years after entering the last four in 2021. The news of Delhi Capitals parting ways with Ponting was first revealed by Ganguly in an exclusive interview and later confirmed by the franchise. Ricky Ponting's Stint as Delhi Capitals Head Coach Comes to An End After Seven Seasons, Franchise Shares Emotional Note on Social Media (See Post).

According to a report in Bengali daily Aajkal, the Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket, said that he wants to win the IPL title with the franchise. Ganguly, as quoted by the daily, said, "I am planning for the next IPL. I want DC to win this time. I will speak to the management about appointing an Indian as the head coach. I want to give it a shot as the head coach. Let me see if I can do it." Two Indian coaches (Ashish Nehra for Gujarat Titans and Chandrakant Pandit for Kolkata Knight Riders) have won the IPL in the last three seasons and the rationale behind an Indian head coach might not be hard to understand. The former BCCI president, who recently celebrated his 52nd birthday, also revealed that he wanted to have England's Jamie Smith in the Delhi Capitals' franchise, Pretoria Capitals, in South Africa's SA20. On This Day: Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif's Partnership Helped Sourav Ganguly-led Indian Cricket Team Clinch Historic Victory Over England in Natwest Series 2002 Final.

"I will bring in some new players. Wanted to bring in Jamie Smith from England. I wanted to test him out in Delhi's SA20 franchise. He wanted to come in, but the schedules did not match," he added. Ponting leaves Delhi Capitals after leading them to the final in 2020, where they had lost to Mumbai Indians. Delhi Capitals posted a message for the former Australian captain on social media, confirming the development. Delhi Capitals have not yet announced their new head coach. Delhi Capitals will look to have a good time at the IPL 2025 mega auction and it remains to be seen which players they retain and whom they let go of.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 13, 2024 09:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).