Parth Jindal and Ricky Ponting. (Source – Twitter/X)
Ricky Ponting, who had served as the head coach of the Delhi Capitals since the 2018 in the Indian Premier League, was relieved of his duties very recently, marking an end of his six-season tenure with the franchise.
During a recent discussion, Ponting provided insight into the strategic direction the franchise intends to pursue, particularly concerning the selection of a new head coach and the rationale behind it. He further revealed that the primary objectives set by the DC’s management for this year could not be fulfilled due to his various personal and professional commitments during the off-season. Consequently, a mutual understanding was reached, leading to Ponting’s freeing the chair.
“They made it pretty clear that they wanted to head in a different direction with someone that could give them a bit more time and a bit more availability through the off-season, really more than anything to be able to spend a bit more time in India with a lot of the local players. I just couldn’t do that with the other stuff that I’ve got going on,” Ponting told The ICC Review.
The legendary batter further elaborated on the ongoing discussions, speculating that based on his conversations with the franchise’s upper management, they were inclined to appoint an Indian-based coach in the post-Ponting era, during which the franchise reached their inaugural final in 2020, albeit finishing as runners-up.
Also Read: I’d love to coach again in the IPL: Ricky Ponting
“I think what you’ll find is that they’ll probably end up with an Indian-based head coach. Certainly, that’s some of the dialogue that I’ve had with them, anyway,” noted Ponting.
I wouldn’t ever consider coaching England: Ponting
When discussing his future coaching aspirations, Ponting firmly dismissed the possibility of joining the England men’s white-ball squad. He explained that, given his current commitments, he wasn’t in the right mindset to fully dedicate his time and energy to coaching an international team.
“No, I wouldn’t ever consider doing that, actually. I’m on record saying that international jobs for me right now are not really where my life is at, as there’s just so much more time taken up with an international job,” added the former Australian cricketer.
In July, Matthew Mott resigned from his position as the national head coach, drawing curtains on a 26-month tenure.