Ponting was with DC for seven years, guiding the team for many seasons, but they failed to win the IPL title.
The Delhi Capitals are looking to make a fresh start with a new coaching staff as Ricky Ponting moves to Punjab Kings as a franchise mentor.
Ponting was with DC for seven years, guiding the team for many seasons, but they failed to win the IPL title. Indian legend Sourav Ganguly also came on board to help DC win their first trophy. However, both Ponting and Ganguly have taken on new roles and DC are still hoping to win their first IPL title.
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Taking to his Instagram Live, Mohammad Kaif, who was also part of the DC coaching staff, believes that Ponting made several mistakes during his stay with the team. Kaif feels that these mistakes led the franchise management to decide to part ways with Ponting and look for a new direction. With this change, the Delhi Capitals aim to turn a new leaf and build a stronger team in the future.
“I think Ponting himself would admit that he could have done better because the team we made, me, Ganguly… you wouldn’t believe there were times when we could have thought about who we should leave. There was no place for Ajinkya Rahane, Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, not even Hetmyer.”
“Then when we went to the auction… it was Ganguly who decided and I must praise him for that. He said we have to back the Indian players. He spoke to Shikhar Dhawan, after which that exchange with Hyderabad took place,” Kaif said in a video posted on his social media,” Kaif said.
Ponting was initially against the Dhawan trade
Kaif mentioned the example of Shikhar Dhawan’s move from Sunrisers Hyderabad, which turned out to be a brilliant decision for the franchise. However, Kaif claimed that Ponting was initially against the trade, and it was Sourav Ganguly who convinced him to approve it.
“Now we were stuck wondering if we should make the trade, and it was Ganguly who convinced us that we needed it. Ponting disagreed. He felt like his career was over, because that was right when he was cut from the trial team. In fact, it was highlighted in the meeting that Dhawan is a reliable player who can score 500 runs in a season.”
“David Warner was in Hyderabad and I think he must have influenced Ponting not to go with Dhawan. I think he should have told Ponting that he is no longer a great player. But Ganguly and Parth Jindal backed Dhawan and redeemed him, and the Indian batsman proved us right because we had reached the final that season, where he scored a lot of runs,” Kaif said.
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Shikhar Dhawan excelled during his three years with Delhi Capitals, scoring over 500 runs each season and helping the team reach its first IPL final in 2020. He later joined Punjab Kings in 2022, leading the team until his retirement in 2024.
Delhi Capitals signed David Warner during the 2022 mega auction. While the explosive Australian had a mixed tenure, he was released after the 2024 season as DC looked to rebuild.
Why DC decided to leave Ponting
Kaif pointed out that Ponting, being a highly respected figure in the world of cricket, is in the same league as icons like Sachin Tendulkar. If a franchise decides to drop that number, it likely means they no longer see the same value in their game plans.
“The franchise owner must have felt that Ponting no longer had good game plans. Now, Ponting is a great name. He is in that Sachin Tendulkar category. Now, if a franchise says ‘thank you very much’ and parts ways, that means they feel their game plans are looking flat,” Kaif added.
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