Former India cricketer Hemang Badani has been appointed as the head coach of the Delhi Capitals (DC) for the 2025 IPL season. Alongside him, the franchise has also brought in Venugopal Rao, another ex-India batter, as the new director of cricket.
Badani steps into the role previously held by Ricky Ponting, who amicably parted ways with the franchise after serving as head coach for seven seasons. Meanwhile, Rao will take over the responsibilities previously managed by Sourav Ganguly. These changes are part of a broader restructuring plan by the DC ownership, which aims to revamp the coaching staff and operations in pursuit of their first IPL title. As part of this overhaul, DC has chosen not to renew the contract of Pravin Amre, who had been with the franchise since 2014 as assistant coach and talent scout.
Badani expressed his eagerness to get started, stating in a press release that with the upcoming mega auction, he and the rest of the coaching team have a clear task ahead. DC is planning to further strengthen their coaching staff, with additional assistant coaches and a mentor to be appointed soon.
In addition to the coaching changes, DC's co-owners, the GMR Group and JSW Sports, will be alternating leadership responsibilities every two years for their teams in both the IPL and the Women's Premier League (WPL). For the next two IPL seasons, GMR Group will oversee the men’s team, while JSW Sports will manage the women’s team for 2025 and 2026. As part of this arrangement, Ganguly will take over as the director of cricket for the WPL for the next two years, before returning to his IPL role in 2027 when JSW Sports resumes control.
In a media statement, DC noted that key decisions like auctions, captaincy choices, and player management will be made jointly by the board, with input from senior leadership of both ownership groups.
Why Hemang Badani?
Though Badani’s appointment may raise some eyebrows, the former Tamil Nadu captain has a proven track record as a coach, particularly in T20 cricket. After being part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad in the early IPL seasons, Badani went on to coach the Chepauk Super Gillies in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), leading them to four titles. He played a crucial role in nurturing young talent, including current Tamil Nadu captain R Sai Kishore.
His success with Chepauk Super Gillies earned him a place in the coaching staff of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for IPL 2022. Additionally, Badani has gained international coaching experience, having led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to victory in the inaugural SA20 tournament in 2023 and guiding Jaffna Kings to the Lanka Premier League title. He was also the head coach of Dubai Capitals, owned by the GMR Group, where his team finished as runners-up in the ILT20 in January 2023.
Venugopal Rao, who played 16 ODIs for India between 2005 and 2006, was part of the Deccan Chargers’ 2009 IPL-winning squad. He has also worked with Dubai Capitals, first as a mentor and later as the director of cricket.