The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals on Thursday announced that assistant coaches Ajit Agarkar and Shane Watson have left the franchise.
The development comes nearly a month after the team’s dismal show in the 2023 season of the cash-rich league, finishing ninth in the points-table.
“You’ll always have a place to call home here. Thank You, Ajit and Watto, for your contributions. All the very best for your future endeavours,” said the franchise on its social media accounts.
Notably, Agarkar joined the franchise as an assistant coach in February 2022 while Watson had joined a month later. During their time with the outfit, the franchise didn’t manage to make it to the playoffs in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Agarkar’s departure from Delhi comes at a time when several reports have suggested that the former India fast bowling all-rounder is the front-runner for the one vacant spot left in the five-member senior men’s selection committee, post the resignation by previous chief selector Chetan Sharma in February.
Agarkar has played 26 Tests, 191 ODIs, and four T20Is for India, and was a member of the inaugural Men’s T20 World Cup winning team in 2007.
In IPL 2023, Delhi, led by David Warner in the absence of injured Rishabh Pant, could manage only five win from 14 matches to end the tournament in the ninth spot. In IPL 2022, Delhi had finished in fifth place, missing the playoffs narrowly.
Earlier on June 14, Delhi’s co-owner Path Jindal had said that the franchise has began its preparations for IPL 2024 with head coach Ricky Ponting and director of cricket Sourav Ganguly.
“Preparations for next year’s @IPL are underway here @DelhiCapitals, alongside @SGanguly99 and @RickyPonting we assure the fans that Kiran and I are working hard to get back to where we want this franchise to be and that is right at the very top,” Jindal had tweeted that time.