NEWS
Follow UsHemang Badani and Venugopal Rao are set to lead Delhi Capitals' (DC) coaching staff in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the franchise announced on October 16 (Wednesday).
Badani will take charge as head coach, while Rao will be appointed as the team's director of cricket. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is currently DC’s director of cricket, but there is no update on his future.
Meanwhile, Badani will replace former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting who has shifted his base to Punjab Kings (PBKS) after being released from his role as Capitals’ head coach in July this year. He was with the Capitals for seven years but failed to win a title.
Badani and Rao have been involved with the franchise's subsidiaries elsewhere - Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 in the UAE and Seattle Orcas in the Major League Cricket in the US. Both these teams are owned by Delhi Capitals co-owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi of the GMR Group.
“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," said Badani.
Badani, who played four Tests and four ODIs, never got the chance to play in the IPL. Meanwhile, Rao featured in 65 IPL encounters and scored 985 runs at an average of 22.39. The 42-year-old also played 16 ODIs for India.
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