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Kaif Opens Up On Ganguly-Ponting Feud Over Dhawan Trade: 'He Felt His Career Was Over'

Rajgeeta Yadav

Mohammad Kaif on Ricky Ponting [Source: @Sportsgriduk/X.com]Mohammad Kaif on Ricky Ponting [Source: @Sportsgriduk/X.com]

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has joined Punjab Kings (PBKS) as their new head coach after spending seven years with Delhi Capitals (DC). Despite his long stint with DC, Ponting couldn't lead the team to their first IPL title. Now, with the IPL 2025 mega auction on the horizon, former DC fielding coach Mohammad Kaif has revealed that Ponting himself acknowledges he could have done more.

As the IPL 2025 auction approaches, all 10 teams are finalizing their strategies, and major changes are happening, not only with players but also with coaching staff. One of the biggest moves has been Ponting’s shift to Punjab Kings. Fans of PBKS are excited about the new appointment, but Kaif, who worked alongside Ponting for two seasons at DC, has some words of caution. He believes that Ponting might be past his prime.

 "I think Ponting would himself admit he could have done better because the team we made, me, Ganguly...you won't believe there were times we could think whom should we drop. There was no place for Ajinkya Rahane, Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, even Hetmyer. Then when we went to the auction...this was Ganguly who decided and I must praise him for that. He said we have to back the Indian players. He talked to Shikhar Dhawan, after which that trade had happened with Hyderabad," Kaif said in a video.

Kaif Recalls Ponting’s Hesitation In Dhawan Trade

Kaif recalled how Ponting wasn’t initially on board with trading for Shikhar Dhawan from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). However, DC's Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly, backed the move, and Dhawan proved his worth. 

 "Now we were stuck still thinking if we should make the trade, and it was Ganguly who convinced us that we needed him. Ponting did not agree. He felt his career was over, because it was right when he was dropped from the Test team. In fact, this thing was highlighted in the meeting that Dhawan is a trusted player who can score 500 runs in a season. David Warner was in Hyderabad, and I feel he must have influenced Ponting against going with Dhawan. I feel he must have told Ponting that he no longer remains a great player. But Ganguly and Parth Jindal backed Dhawan and traded him, and the India batter proved us right because we had reached the final that season where he scored a lot of runs," Kaif said.   

In the 2020 season, Dhawan scored 521 runs, and DC made it to their first-ever IPL final under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy. Dhawan went on to score 618 runs in 2020, including two centuries and four fifties. The IPL 2025 Mega Auction will be held on November 24th and 25th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, starting at 3:30 PM IST.