Delhi Capitals have not made the playoffs since 2021, and Sourav Ganguly is their new head coach
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly replaces Hemang Badani as Delhi Capitals head coach for IPL 2027, his first head coach job in the IPL.
Oct 6, 2026
Sourav Ganguly has been appointed head coach of Delhi Capitals for IPL 2027, the franchise announced on Tuesday, 6 October. He takes over from Hemang Badani, who coached the side for the last two seasons, and it is the first time Ganguly has been head coach of an IPL team.
He is hardly a stranger to the dressing room. Ganguly first joined Delhi as an advisor in 2019, working alongside Ricky Ponting in the season they reached the playoffs for the first time since 2012. After his term as BCCI president he returned as director of cricket for the men’s and women’s teams.
A first coaching job, and a final
His first head coach role came in South Africa. Ganguly took charge of Pretoria Capitals for the 2026 SA20 and took them to the final, where they lost to Sunrisers Eastern Cape in January.
“Delhi Capitals is a franchise very close to my heart,” Ganguly said in the club’s statement. He spoke about working with the squad and “building a strong and fearless team.”
Five seasons without the playoffs
He inherits a long wait. Delhi and Punjab Kings are the only two franchises from the first IPL season in 2008 never to have won the title. Delhi’s best effort was the 2020 final, and they topped the league table in 2021 without reaching the final. They have missed the playoffs in every season since.
IPL 2026 followed the same script. Under Axar Patel’s captaincy and Badani’s coaching, Delhi won seven and lost seven of their 14 league games and finished sixth on 14 points. KL Rahul led their batting with 593 runs and Lungi Ngidi was the top wicket-taker with 13. They signed off with a 40-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders on 24 May, by which time they were already out.
JSW Sports founder Parth Jindal called Ganguly “one of the greatest Indian captains and administrators.” Under the franchise’s split ownership model, JSW runs the Capitals for the next two years.
Retentions come first
The calendar gives Ganguly little room. He has to settle his support staff and decide on retentions before the 15 November deadline, and the mini auction for the 2027 season is due in Goa in mid-December.