Ricky Ponting unveils key reason for Delhi Capitals departure and hints at India-based coach for successor role

Last month, IPL franchise Delhi Capitals made the tough decision to part ways with head coach Ricky Ponting after his seven-year tenure with the team. Despite the significant progress made under Ponting's leadership, the coveted IPL trophy has continued to elude the franchise. The closest they came to lifting the trophy was in the 2020 season, when they reached their first-ever final but were ultimately defeated by Mumbai Indians.

The Capitals are one of the only three franchises from the original roster (the other two being Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru) yet to lift the IPL title. It was reported that the lack of silverware was the primary reason behind the franchise parting ways with Ponting. Almost a month since, the former Australian captain spoke in detail about his departure.

Ponting said the franchise is more inclined towards appointing a head coach who can spare significantly more time during the off-season. The Australian alluded that the Capitals could have an India-based coach.

"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,” he said on The ICC Review podcast, as quoted by PTI.

"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.

“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 said.

Ponting keen on IPL return

Ponting, however, insisted he remains keen on taking up coaching opportunities in the IPL. The two-time World Cup-winning captain acknowledged that the lack of silverware led to his exit from the IPL side, but he wants to throw his hat in the ring again.

"I'd love to coach again in the IPL. I've had a great time every year that I've been involved, whether that was in the early days as a player or the couple of years I had at Mumbai as head coach there," he said.

"I've had seven seasons at Delhi, which unfortunately didn't really work out the way that I would have wanted and certainly the way that the franchise would have wanted.”

“Me going there was all about trying to bring some silverware to the team and that didn't happen,” he conceded.

Stay informed with the latest updates on live cricket score, cricket players, match schedules and ICC rankings. Keep an eye on your favourite cricket team, including the stellar performances of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Check out the cricket schedule, track team standings and dive into player stats and rankings on Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times website and app.