In an alternate universe, Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting may have nonetheless been the boys in cost at Delhi Capitals. Shreyas spent seven seasons on the franchise and led it to its first and solely Indian Premier League (IPL) ultimate in 2020. Ponting was head coach then and likewise lent his companies for seven years.
In each instances, the exits didn’t seem fully amicable. When a shoulder harm dominated Shreyas out of the primary half of the 2021 season, Rishabh Pant turned the stand-in skipper. The center-order batter from Mumbai, nevertheless, wasn’t handed again the management reins as soon as he regained health for the second half, and subsequently parted methods altogether.
With Ponting, who was coach from 2018 to 2024, Capitals attributed the Australian’s lack of availability in India by the yr as a sore level.
Reduce to the current, DC can solely solid a wistful sigh at these calls as Shreyas and Ponting return to the Arun Jaitley Stadium as captain and coach of a red-hot Punjab Kings for Saturday’s conflict.
Since their reunion at PBKS in 2025, they’ve reworked a floundering unit right into a formidable pressure, enabling it to exude the aptitude and aggression that characterises the duo. After a runner-up end in 2025, Punjab has been simply as dominant this season, notching up 5 wins in six matches (one no-result).
Capitals, on the contrary, are going through a well-recognized mid-table disaster. After two wins to start the marketing campaign, frailties have surfaced in latest matches. A living proof was their final match, the place Axar Patel and Co. suffered a 47-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Whereas the bowlers conceded 242, the larger concern is the batting unit, which is but to click on as a complete.
For Shreyas and Ponting, then, this can be a probability to consolidate Punjab’s place, and remind DC of the truth that each these males have moved on to greener pastures.
Printed on Apr 24, 2026