Munaf Patel joins Delhi Capitals [Source: @cricketworldcup/x]
The Delhi Capitals franchise has announced former Indian fast bowler Munaf Patel as its new bowling coach. In lieu of the impending IPL 2025 season as well as its mega auction, the Capitals management has undergone a slew of changes in the past couple of months.
Moreover, the franchise also retained only a handful of cricketers on the day of IPL 2025 retention announcement on October 31.
Munaf Patel joins Hemang Badani, Venugopal Rao at DC
Former Indian fast bowler Munaf Patel has been roped in by the Delhi Capitals franchise to helm the team as its bowling coach for next year’s IPL 2025 season. The 2011 World Cup winning alumni was roped into the squad roughly a month after former cricketers Hemang Badani and Venugopal Rao joined the Capitals franchise as its new head coach and director of cricket respectively.
Back in October this year, the franchise announced that Badani will be replacing outbound head coach Ricky Ponting and as per a Cricbuzz report, he and fellow new-entrant and director of cricket Venugopal Rao will be granted complete freedom by the Capitals management for selecting the rest of the coaching staff.
Munaf Patel played 13 Tests, 70 ODIs and three T20I matches for Team India between the years 2006 and 2011. After facing repeated omissions by the selectors, the 2011 World Cup winning fast bowler announced his retirement from international cricket in 2018.
Management changes aside, the Delhi Capitals franchise retained just four cricketers ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction in late-November. Retaining Abhishek Porel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs and Axar Patel on October 31, the franchise let go of captain and elite Capitals member Rishabh Pant.
The Delhi Capitals team management will enter the IPL 2025 mega auction with a solid purse of Rs.76.25 crores.