IPL 2023: Excited to be back, says Sourav Ganguly after appointment as Delhi Capitals' Director of Cricket

The Delhi Capitals on Thursday, March 16 confirmed the appointment of Sourav Ganguly as their Director of Cricket. The former India captain and the former BCCI president will take charge of all the verticals of the Capitals franchise, including the Women's Premier League team, Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 and Dubai Capitals in the ILT20.

Sourav Ganguly had already begun work with the franchise during the SA20 and the ongoing inaugural season of the Women's Premier League where Delhi Capitals are well-placed to reach the play-offs. Notably, Ganguly had served as the mentor of Delhi Capitals in IPL 2019 during which he worked with head coach Ricky Ponting.

Delhi Capitals also announced David Warner as their new captain for IPL 2023 season. He will lead the side in the new season in the absence of Rishabh Pant, who is recovering from injuries that he picked up during a near-fatal car accident in December 2022. Delhi Capitals announced Axar Patel as their new vice-captain.

Speaking about the appointment, Sourav Ganguly said he is excited to return to Delhi Capitals and has already had a feel of the work during his stint with Pretoria in SA20 and DC in the WPL.

"I’m excited to be back with the Delhi Capitals. My association with the women’s team, and the Pretoria Capitals over the last few months has been fantastic, and I’m looking forward to the upcoming season of the IPL. Delhi Capitals had done well as a team during my last stint with them.

"I’ve already been involved with the players this time around, and I’m keen to see them as a group. Hopefully, we will all have a great time over the next couple of months," he added.

Ganguly's stint as BCCI president came to an end after former World Cup-winning all-rounder Roger Binny was unanimously elected as the president in October 2022.

After his stint as BCCI president came to an end, Ganguly had said he would go on to do bigger things in life, saying nothing is permanent. Ganguly had reportedly expressed a desire to continue as the board president after attending meetings with the BCCI top brass ahead of the nominations.

Notably, Ganguly was reportedly offered the role of the IPL chairman but the former India captain politely refuesed the offer.

Delhi Capitals co-owner and chairman Parth Jindal expressed confidence that the leadership group of Warner, Ponting and Ganguly will help the team do well in IPL 2023.

Delhi Capitals missed out on the play-offs spot by a whisker in IPL 2022 but the team reached the final in IPL 2020 and the top 4 in 2021, showcasing consistency in the recent past.