Who is Hemang Badani? The New Delhi Capitals Head Coach Who Was Once Banned By BCCI

Following the departure of Ricky Ponting, the head coach position at Delhi Capitals remained vacant for a considerable period. However, in due course, the DC franchise has appointed a new individual for the post. Capitals named Hemang Badani as the new head coach on Thursday and disseminated the development through social media.

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Who is Hemang Badani? The New Head Coach of Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals have a long history of onboarding former cricketers as head coach. Previously, icons like Rahul Dravid and Gary Kirsten have coached the side. Subsequently, after Ricky Ponting's tenure end, the IPL outfit has yet again brought in a former player.

Hemang Badani, the new head coach, played for India in both ODIs and Tests. He was active at the scene from 2000-2004, and during that period, he represented India in 4 Tests and 40 ODIs. While he did not get many chances in the longest format of the game, he proved to be handy in ODIs. As a lower-order batsman, he scored 867 runs in 40 matches at a fair average of 33.34. In the process, he smashed four half-centuries and a memorable century that came against Australia at home. Badani last featured for India in 2004 during the in-famous India tour of Pakistan .

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Once Banned By BCCI

With the birth of the league cricket and the dearth of opportunities, Hemang Badani joined ICL franchise Chennai Superstars back in 2007. The league was an outcast and all the players associated with it were banned by BCCI. Hence, Badani also endured the punishment. Nevertheless, the cricket board granted amnesty to all the players in 2009 with a cooling-off period of one year. Afterwards, Badani was picked by Chennai Super Kings in 2010 but could not make it to the playing XI. 

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Hemang Badani's Coaching Career

After a culminating stint as a player, Hemang Badani took the coaching path. He garnered attention by serving as the head coach of Chepauk Super Gillies in Tamil Nadu Premier League. He held the helm of Gillies for seven seasons, winning the title four times in the motion. In the IPL , he worked as a fielding coach and a scout for Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2021 to 2023. Thus, Hemang Badani has sufficient experience and appropriate credentials under his sleeve to be entrusted with the role of a head coach in IPL.