DC’s Hemang Badani bats for more Indian coaches in IPL, cites Nehra & Chandrakant Pandit’s victorious reigns

Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani has backed more Indian coaches to be at the helm of IPL teams. Only four out of ten teams have Indian coaches at the moment. Badani joined DC ahead of IPL 2025, replacing Australia’s Ricky Ponting who has now moved to Punjab Kings.

DC coach wants more Indians at the helm of IPL teams

As per Indian Express, Badani pointed out that Indian coaches could connect better with the domestic talents than foreign coaches. He noted that out of 25 players in a team, 16 of them were from India and belonged to diverse backgrounds. Badani argued that a local coach could connect with these players better. However, he lamented the lack of Indian coaches in the IPL setup.

“Out of 25 players in the IPL, 16 are Indian players and it is these players who play a big role in your success. They come from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Given the tournament is so short, one would rather prefer a local coach who understands and connects with these players better, but we haven’t seen enough Indian coaches at all,” Badani said.

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Currently, only four teams have Indian coaches. Rahul Dravid joined Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2025 while Badani joined DC. Chandrakant Pandit and Ashish Nehra continue to lead KKR and GT respectively. Citing the victorious reigns of Nehra and Pandit in 2022 and 2024, the new DC coach argued that Indian coaches should be given a chance.

“When you have only foreign coaches, invariably one of them is going to win it. I’m not against teams having foreign coaches, but don’t rule us out. Only if we compete with them will you know whether it is possible to win the title. Ashish (Nehra) won in 2022 when he was the lone Indian coach around. Last year, (Chandrakant) Pandit showed he can do it as well,” added Badani.

Further, the new DC coach claimed that leagues across the globe had a heavy presence of local head coaches. He argued that a local coach would know the conditions and the players better and hence wouldn’t face much difficulty.