Since its inception, Delhi Capitals has been striving for consistent success in the Indian Premier League (IPL), yet its journey has often been marked by intermittent highs and prolonged lows.
The appointment of world-renowned cricketing figures like Ricky Ponting as head coach in 2018 and Sourav Ganguly as mentor in 2019, later transitioning to director of cricket in 2023, was expected to herald a new era of dominance for the franchise. However, despite sporadic flashes of brilliance, including a memorable trip to the finals in 2020, their tenure has largely failed to translate into sustained triumphs.
As the dust settles on the IPL 2024, it becomes increasingly apparent that a recalibration of leadership may be necessary. Here, we unveil four compelling reasons why Delhi Capitals’ management should consider parting ways with these esteemed cricketing giants after IPL 2024.
Why Delhi Capitals Should Remove Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly After IPL 2024:
1. Lack of success
Ricky Ponting’s ascension as head coach in 2018 launched with Delhi Capitals securing one of their worst finishes in any season. With the addition of Sourav Ganguly as mentor and Shreyas Iyer as the new captain the following year, the Capitals reached its first playoffs in seven editions, and they one-upped their own effort by reaching the finals in 2020.
While they finished at the top of the points table in 2021, the Capitals lost its plot at the worst stage possible. Coping to three successive defeats towards the end, they lost two of those games during the all-important playoffs to concede yet another IPL season.
With Ponting again at the helm in 2022 and Ganguly joining the force in 2023 as director of cricket, the Delhi Capitals somehow reverted back to their usual miseries as they failed to secure a top-four finish on both occasions. Moreover, under the captaincy of Rishabh Pant, the Delhi-based franchise looks all set to crash to yet another seasonal defeat in IPL 2024, considering they managed to secure just three wins by the tournament’s halfway stage.
2. Tactical failures
A master tactician during his playing days for Australia, Ricky Ponting has somewhat failed to impart his ‘champion mindset’ onto his Delhi Capitals troops. As evidenced by several defeats over the past few seasons, the Delhi Capitals campaigns seem to have been marred by a series of strategic missteps and tactical blunders.
The inability of Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly to devise and execute effective game plans seems to be a recurring theme within the Capitals camp.
Moreover, a number of their defeats in crunch final-over thrillers have been seemingly decided by a lack of foresight, thus exposing flaws in their pre-game tactical planning. The apparent dearth of contingency plans highlights the systematic shortcomings of Delhi Capitals season after season, eventually contributing to their failure to sustain their all-round performance.
3. Inability to nurture young talents
Delhi Capitals are one of the few IPL franchises that heavily rely on its young Indian talent. The likes of Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant and a handful of others shot themselves to unprecedented stardom under the tutelage of Ricky Ponting.
However, failures to extract the best out of Rahul Tewatia, Tushar Deshpande and Vijay Shankar before the talents above found successes with other IPL groups indicates that the Delhi Capitals management have struggled to harness the full potential of their players. Moreover, Ranji Trophy veterans like Shams Mulani and Sarfaraz Khan did not receive a single crack in the Capitals playing XI during their respective stints with the franchise.
The pattern seems to be a perpetual problem for the Capitals if their IPL 2024 performance is any indication. With Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly overseeing the franchise’s operations, such failures to provide a conducive environment for the growth of emerging stars have already hindered the team’s long-term prospects.
4. Dearth of Innovation and Adaptability
Amidst the ever-evolving landscape of IPL and T20 cricket, a Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly-led Delhi Capitals group seems to lag behind some competitors. For instance, franchises like Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have already taken up a notch regarding explosive run-scoring blitz at the top of the order this season.
The ‘Orange Army’ has amassed three scores of 250 or more in its first seven matches, including the all-time IPL record of 287 runs in an innings. KKR, on the other hand, have the likes of Phil Salt and Sunil Narine firing on all cylinders in the powerplay overs to provide electric starts up front.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals showed little-to-no intent during a chase of 273 against KKR this IPL 2024 season. A couple of weeks later, skipper Rishabh Pant scored a sluggish 35-ball 44 while pursuing a 267-run target against SRH at Delhi.
Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly’s reluctance to embrace reluctance to embrace high-firing approaches has rendered the team predictable and incapable of catching up with the game’s fast-paced nature. The factors above likely stemmed from the fact that both Ponting and Ganguly hail from a traditional generation of batters, one in its twilight stage just as T20 was becoming an integral part of the cricketing lore.