[Watch] Ricky Ponting faces throwdowns from Sourav Ganguly at Delhi Capitals nets in nostalgic moment
Delhi Capitals' (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting and team director Sourav Ganguly were involved in a fun nets session ahead of the 2024 IPL season. The former Australian captain faced several throwdowns from one of India's most accomplished skippers.
The duo were involved in several high-intensity face-offs in the late 1990s and 2000s on the cricket field in India-Australia clashes. While the games were mostly well-contested, Ponting had the upper hand when it mattered most.
Cut to the present, the pair hopes to help DC break through and win their maiden IPL title in the upcoming season.
Ahead of a potentially tense IPL 2024, the Delhi Capitals Twitter handle posted a video of Ganguly bowling to Ponting:
Ganguly and Ponting captained their respective sides in the 2003 ODI World Cup, and the teams met in the grand finale. A sensational century from the Aussie captain helped his side post a mammoth 359/2 in 50 overs.
Team India was no match in reply and suffered a 125-run defeat, with Ganguly scoring only 24.
Ponting won a remarkable 220 out of 324 matches leading Australia, including back-to-back ODI World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007. Meanwhile, Ganguly took over when India was in the doldrums with the match-fixing saga in 1999, leading them to 97 wins in 196 matches.
The duo are also among the most accomplished batters in cricket history, with Ponting third on the all-time list with 27,483 runs and Ganguly 18th with 18,575 runs.
Delhi Capitals look to bounce back after disappointing IPL 2023 season
Delhi Capitals will look to bounce back this season after a disastrous IPL 2023 campaign.
Without their regular skipper, Rishabh Pant, the side finished second to bottom with five wins in 14 games under David Warner. The franchise has been a perennial underachiever, with no titles and a lone final appearance in 16 seasons.
Their run thus far in IPL history can be split into three parts - 2008 to 2012, 2013 to 2018, and 2019 to 2021. The first chapter saw the Delhi Capitals qualify for the playoffs in three of the five seasons.
However, the franchise endured its all-time low in the second phase, missing the playoffs for six consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2018. Then came the turnaround when they qualified for the playoffs three times in a row from 2019 to 2021, including reaching the final in 2020.
Yet, the impressive run was cut short, with DC finishing outside the top four again in the last two seasons.
Nevertheless, with the return of Pant as skipper, the franchise will hope to turn their fortunes around as they begin their 2024 IPL campaign against the Punjab Kings on March 23.