Ricky Ponting, head coach of the Delhi Capitals (DC), and team director Sourav Ganguly took part in a fun nets session ahead of the 2024 Indian Premier League season. The former Australian captain was confronted with various challenges from one of India’s most successful captains.
India versus Australia was a battle. Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid clashed in the 90s and 2000s. Their matches were intense, but fair. Ponting had the edge, though, when it counted most.
Cut to the present, and the duo aims to help DC break through and win their first IPL crown in the coming season.
Ahead of a possibly heated IPL 2024, the Delhi Capitals Twitter account shared a footage of Ganguly bowling to Ponting:
Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting commanded their respective nations in the 2003 ODI World Cup, when they met in the final. The Australian captain’s spectacular century helped his team score a whopping 359/2 in 50 overs.
Team India was no match in reply, losing by 125 runs, with Ganguly scoring only 24.
Ricky Ponting won 220 of 324 matches as Australia’s captain, including back-to-back ODI World Cups in 2003 and 2007. Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly took over while India was in a slump following the match-fixing scandal in 1999, guiding them to 97 victories in 196 matches.
The two are also among the most accomplished hitters in cricket history, with Ricky Ponting third all-time with 27,483 runs and Ganguly 18th with 18,575 runs.
Delhi Capitals Prepare to Rise Again After Disappointing IPL 2023 Season
The Delhi Capitals will attempt to rebound this season following a disappointing IPL 2023 campaign.
Without its normal captain, Rishabh Pant, the team finished second-to-last with five victories in 14 games under David Warner. The franchise has been a serial underachiever, with no championships and only one playoff participation in 16 seasons.
Delhi Capitals’ IPL journey can be divided into three periods: 2008-2012, 2013-2018, and 2019-2021. In the first phase, they reached the playoffs thrice out of five seasons. However, the next six years were dismal as they failed to make the playoffs from 2013 to 2018 – their lowest point. Then came a resurgence from 2019 to 2021, with three consecutive playoff appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2020.
Although their performances oscillated, the franchise’s overall IPL tenure has been marked by alternating highs and lows. The initial stretch saw them frequently contend, but a lengthy slump followed. Nevertheless, the recent surge has restored their status as a formidable contender.
However, DC’s great run was cut short, as they finished outside the top four in the past two seasons.
Nonetheless, with Pant returning as captain, the franchise hopes to turn things around when they face the Punjab Kings on March 23 in the 2024 IPL season.
