New Delhi Capitals coach Hemang Badani bats for more Indians at the helm of IPL teams | Cricket News
There is more than a month to go for the Indian Premier League, but there’s already a lot going on in Hemang Badani’s mind. And not without reason.This IPL, he will take over as head coach of Delhi Capitals, who are seeking their first title. After a seven-year stint with Ricky Ponting, they have turned to Badani. Just like Kolkata Knight Riders did three years ago turning to Chandrakant Pandit and what Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings have done in the past – have an Indian in charge off the field.
Having won three successive titles in the Lanka Premier League and ILT20 on Sunday with Dubai Capitals – a ser franchise of Delhi Capitals – and having been part of Sunrisers Eastern Cape SA20 title-winning set-up as batting coach, Badani is a decorated globe-trotting coach. After spending three seasons as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting coach, this is the first time he would be in the hot seat at an IPL franchise.
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“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 argues.
Since the inception of the IPL, franchises have mostly preferred big-name overseas coaches. In the 17 IPL seasons till date, 15 titles have been won sides with a foreigner as head coach. In the last three years though, two of the three titles have been won teams that had Indian coaches. “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,” says Badani, who also won four titles in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), his maiden coaching stint.
To drive home his point, Badani points out that the Big Bash League, SA20 and the Caribbean Premier League have a heavy presence of local head coaches, as it provides them cutting edge in terms of knowledge about local players. “When you have a local head coach, he knows the conditions and the local players better. It is why they end up on the winning side rather than those teams that have overseas coaches often. In IPL, most franchises have experienced overseas players, and they are ultra-professional, so it is all about managing them. With Indian players, you have to give a lot more focus because of the various barriers. This is where an Indian coach will be better,” Badani adds.
In that sense, come the IPL, the pressure and expectations would be a lot more on Badani despite the success he has enjoyed across leagues. So far in his coaching career, he has tasted success in each of the leagues he has coached in, and believes there is no need to change what he has been doing. “I look at every tournament as an opportunity to express myself. I’m objective, do my preparations and prefer staying in the present. I’m assuming there will be pressure and expectations. How am I going to survive or how am I going to enhance myself? I’m very diligent and will just go back to my own style of coaching, my own style of preparation. If I’m prepared well, it gives me a good chance to do well.”Story continues below this ad
With Delhi Capitals, he tends to stick to the template which has worked for him with his previous teams. “It doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. I’ve to first win the trust of the players and make them buy into the story. There is no coach who would say there is a set pattern. My role is to empower the player giving him as much information and from there on, they take the field. And in a tournament like IPL, you have to be realic… you have to be prepared to lose some games. If you have a success rate of 60-70 percent, it is enough to win the trophy,” Badani adds.
This has been a journey that has in many ways surprised himself. Having finished his first-class career in 2013, Badani, like many of his peers, went into broadcasting before a TNPL gig came his way. “As a player, I felt that I didn’t have the right temperament to handle 15-20 players. I mostly kept to myself and wasn’t a people-to-people person. But when I did TNPL, I enjoyed being back on the field. Contrary to what I thought about myself, I’d it in me to be a coach,” he says.
