One of the greatest captains of all time, Sourav Ganguly has been roped in as the coach of an Indian Premier League franchise. Delhi Capitals has appointed Sourav Ganguly as the head coach for the upcoming IPL season 2027.
Ganguly takes over the post after Hemang Badani departed from the franchise. Ganguly previously also served as part of the coaching staff at DC when Ricky Ponting was the head of the franchise.
His tactical acumen, following his maiden coaching assignment with SA20’s Pretoria Capitals, would be of great help to the team. The administrative experience he holds as a BCCI president, as well as the head of the Cricket Association of Bengal in the previous ten years, would be of immense importance to the team.
His familiarity with the core squad, coupled with his reputation as an aggressive leader, is expected to give the franchise a new direction in the hunt for its maiden IPL title, having failed to taste glory since the inaugural T20 league in 2008.
The grand announcement was made via a video shared on social media, confirming that Dadagiri is going to rule the franchise from the IPL 2027 season onwards. In the video, Ganguly is heard saying that his time to watch from the sidelines is over and that he now wants a real piece of the action as the head coach of the franchise.
“You think there comes a time when you’ve done enough, seen enough, achieved enough, when you can step back, watch from the sidelines, guide, believe, and for a while, that’s enough. At least, that’s what I thought. But every now and then, something reminds you why you started. For me, this team did. Delhi has been waiting for its time. It’s time now for Delhi. Tiger is back,” Ganguly can be heard saying in the video.
Delhi Capitals chairman and co-owner Parth Jindal welcomed Ganguly’s new role and highlighted his long-standing relationship with the franchise.
“Dada is and has always been an integral part of the Delhi Capitals family. I am incredibly proud and honoured to announce that one of the greatest Indian captains and administrators is now stepping into coaching by taking over as the head coach of the Delhi Capitals. I am excited to see him take on this role and I’m sure that under his guidance and visionary leadership Delhi Capitals will be best prepared to challenge for the IPL title. I cannot wait for all our players and staff to learn from Dada and am looking forward to seeing DC in action at the earliest,” he said.
According to franchise co-owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Ganguly’s familiarity with the franchise’s cricketing structure would be of great importance in the new role he has taken up.
Besides Ganguly, Capitals are also assembling a high-profile, star-studded coaching staff. As per reports, former Indian legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh would be appointed as the batting coach, while Sri Lankan pace maestro Shaminda Vaas would be the fast-bowling coach, and IPL veteran Amit Mishra would be the spin-bowling coach.
The season will also see Delhi’s local hero Rishabh Pant make his return after spending a couple of seasons away at Lucknow Super Giants.