Delhi Capitals have decided to end their association with assistant coaches Ajit Agarkar and Shane Watson due to the team’s underwhelming performance in the 2022 and 2023 seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Agarkar and Watson had joined the franchise as assistant coaches in 2022.
In the previous season, Delhi Capitals finished in the fifth position, while in IPL 2023, they could only manage a disappointing ninth place. Considering their below-par performance, the franchise was expected to make changes, and within a month after the conclusion of IPL 2023, two coaches have been released.
There have been rumors suggesting that Ajit Agarkar might be considered for the role of the next chief selector for Team India. In the 2022 season, Delhi Capitals won seven out of their 14 matches but failed to secure a spot in the playoffs, despite having a better net run rate than the fourth-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who won eight games in the league stage.
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In the 2023 season, Delhi Capitals had a forgettable run, managing only five wins. With Rishabh Pant unavailable, the team had David Warner as the captain. Throughout the season, the Delhi-based franchise struggled to find a winning combination and could not progress beyond the league stage.
As per the recent announcement from Delhi Capitals, Ricky Ponting will continue as the chief coach, while Sourav Ganguly will retain his position as the mentor. Ponting joined the team as the chief coach before IPL 2018 and played a crucial role in guiding the franchise to the playoffs in 2019, ending their streak of unsuccessful seasons. Ganguly served as the advisor for Delhi Capitals during that season but left after a year to assume the presidency of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Delhi Capitals reached the final of IPL 2020 and finished at the top of the table in IPL 2021. However, they failed to progress beyond the qualifiers in 2021 and have not advanced past the league stage since then. Looking ahead to IPL 2024, it is anticipated that Rishabh Pant will be fit to lead the team, and significant changes are expected in the squad.