Legendary Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting and his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals (DC) parted ways after a lukewarm IPL 2024 season. This brought an end to their 7-year relationship with Ricky Ponting being the head coach of the team.
Ponting took over the reigns in IPL 2018 and during his tenure, DC made it into the final of the IPL for the first time in 2020. It was also in his tenure that Rishabh Pant was made captain of the side and Shreyas Iyer left the franchise for Kolkata Knight Riders.
However, along with Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, DC remains one of the three original IPL franchises, never to win the trophy.
The heartbreak continued in IPL 2024 as well, as DC failed to make it into the playoffs for the third year in a row. As a result, DC management decided to bring in someone fresh and decided not to renew Ricky Ponting’s contract as the team's head coach.
And now for the first time, Ponting opened up about his time with Delhi Capitals and said that it was like his second home. He also spoke about Rishabh Pant and his return to the game after his near-fatal car accident.
“I haven't spoken publicly about not being there next year. I sort of let it go because I was here and had been paying pretty close attention to what I was doing here. Look, I had a great time there. DC, for me, was like my second home and my family was there with me for a month or five weeks in the last three or four years. It hasn't always been the most successful franchise. So we tried to build a real family inclusive environment where everyone was treated the same and everyone was on the same page,” Ponting told Cricbuzz.
“I mean what Rishabh's been through last year is one that's probably the most emotional, with how close I was with him and what he went through and the fear of all of us that he might not play cricket again. Seeing him back and doing what he's doing and leading DC, I think it's a pretty emotional time for everyone,” he added.
Ricky Ponting is currently associated with the Washington Freedom team in the ongoing Major League Cricket in the USA.
While talking about his future, Ponting hinted that while he had bid goodbye to Delhi Capitals, his time in the IPL is not over yet. He spoke about ongoing conversations with some other franchises.
“So, it is what it is, we've decided to part ways and we decided to move on but that doesn't mean that I won't be coaching again. I'm very keen to get back involved in the IPL. There might be a few opportunities coming up and we'll see what happens over the next few weeks,” Ponting added.
