Delhi Capitals’ Australian head coach, Ricky Ponting, revealed during a press conference in Melbourne, following his appointment as the head coach of Major League Cricket team Washington Freedom, that David Warner, who recently retired from the longest formats of the game, is poised to continue leading the Capitals for the second consecutive season in IPL 2024, should Rishabh Pant remain unavailable.

Warner rejoined the Delhi-based franchise two seasons ago during the IPL 2022 Mega player auction. Signed by the management under Ponting’s guidance for 6.25 crores, the dynamic left-handed batsman reunited with his inaugural Indian Premier League team after an eight-year hiatus.

During those eight years, Warner experienced a rollercoaster journey, from achieving the pinnacle of his career to facing significant challenges. Following his stint with the Delhi Capitals, formerly known as Daredevils before 2019, Warner secured his maiden ICC trophy with the Cricket World Cup 2015 victory in Australia.

In 2016, as the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad since 2014, Warner guided the team to their inaugural IPL title after the franchise rebranded from Deccan Chargers to SRH. However, two years later, his career took a drastic turn with the infamous Australian Sandpaper scandal during a match in South Africa.

He was implicated in the scandal along with Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, resulting in all three receiving one-year bans from the ICC for all international cricket activities. Warner and Smith’s IPL contracts were also suspended for that season. The repercussions were so severe that Sunrisers Hyderabad went as far as asking Warner not to join the team in the country, despite his role as the franchise’s captain.

Can David Warner Guide Delhi to Their First IPL Title After His Spectacular Comeback?

After making his return, David Warner led SRH to consecutive playoffs in 2019 and 2020, followed by an 8th-place finish in the 2021 season, which ultimately marked his final one with the team. In the mega auction of February 2022, Delhi Capitals reacquired him for over 6 crores. Warner’s performance at the top of the order yielded 432 runs, and he assumed the captaincy role last year in the absence of Pant, who was recovering from a severe car crash in December 2022.

Although Warner’s batting performance was somewhat frustrating, he still managed to score over 500 runs. However, DC’s overall performance was disappointing, resulting in a 9th-place finish in the league table. Head coach Ricky Ponting has suggested that a similar captaincy arrangement might be in place for the upcoming season, as they anticipate that their acquisitions from the December auction will bolster the Capitals’ prospects.

“We have a talented squad that, to be honest, hasn’t quite lived up to its potential over the past few years, so there’s some groundwork ahead of us.” – Ricky Ponting informed journalists in Melbourne.

Meanwhile, the schedule for the 17th season of the Indian Premier League is still pending, but there are indications that it will likely commence in early March and wrap up by May. This timing aligns with the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to take place in the USA and West Indies, starting in June.

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