Former Indian pacer Munaf Patel has been appointed as the new bowling coach for the Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2025 season. The announcement was made on Tuesday (November 12), as the franchise prepares for the upcoming mega auction scheduled for November 24-25 in Jeddah.

Coaching staff changes in Delhi Capitals 

Munaf will join a revamped coaching team, working alongside newly appointed head coach Hemang Badani and Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao. He replaces James Hopes, who departed alongside former head coach Ricky Ponting after IPL 2024. This marks Munaf’s first significant coaching role since his retirement from professional cricket in 2018, where he had previously participated in competitions for retired players.

Career highlights of the ex-India international

Munaf, now 41, had a distinguished playing career, representing India in 86 international matches across all formats, where he took 125 wickets. He was part of India’s victorious squad during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and has two IPL titles to his name, having played for the Rajasthan Royals and the Mumbai Indians. His experience includes playing in the IPL from 2008 to 2017, during which he took a total of 76 wickets in 63 matches.

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This appointment is seen as a significant step for Munaf as he transitions from player to coach, aiming to leverage his extensive experience to enhance the Capitals’ bowling unit in their quest for IPL success.

Delhi Capitals’ strategy for IPL 2024

As part of their strategic overhaul, the Delhi-based franchise has retained key players such as Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and rising star Tristan Stubbs, while also keeping wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel. Notably, they have opted not to retain captain Rishabh Pant, making a bold move ahead of the auction. The franchise heads into the auction with a purse of ₹73 crore and plans to utilize their Right To Match (RTM) cards to retain additional players if necessary.

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