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Former India batter Venugopal Rao is likely to replace Sourav Ganguly as the Director of Cricket in Delhi Capitals. Ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 season, Rao, who played 16 ODIs for India from 2005 to 2006, is expected to headline DC’s support staff. Reports suggest that he will be joined by his former teammate Hemang Badani who will take over the role of the new head coach of the franchise.
As per a report in Cricbuzz, Badani will replace Ricky Ponting as the head coach of the franchise. Badani was previously associated with SunRisers Hyderabad and worked with Brian Lara. However, it will be his first assignment as head coach of any IPL team. Badani, a former Tamil Nadu batter, has played four Tests and 40 ODIs for the Men in Blue from 2001 to 2004. Not only this, but he also scored an ODI century against Australia during the 2001 bilateral series.
Venugopal and Badani to headline Delhi Capitals' support staff: Reports
According to a report by Cricbuzz, “Hemang Badani will take charge as head coach for the upcoming two seasons. Additionally, Badani’s former India teammate, Venugopal Rao, will serve as the team’s director of cricket.” Both Venugopal and Badani have been associated with various franchises including ILT20 in UAE and Major League Cricket (MLC)in the US. Both the franchises, Dubai Capitals and Seattle Orcas are owned by Delhi Capitals’ co-owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi of the GMR Group.
The report in Cricbuzz stated, “The two, who have long played together for MRF in the Chennai league, are known for their strong association and professional understanding, and the Delhi Capitals management has granted them the freedom to select the rest of the coaching staff. Replacing the likes of Ricky Ponting, who served as the franchise's head coach for the past seven years may not be easy but the management has apparently made a conscious decision to not go for big names.”
