In an alternate universe, Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting could have still been the men in charge at Delhi Capitals. Shreyas spent seven seasons at the franchise and led it to its first and only Indian Premier League (IPL) final in 2020. Ponting was head coach then and also lent his services for seven years.

In both cases, the exits didn’t appear entirely amicable. When a shoulder injury ruled Shreyas out of the first half of the 2021 season, Rishabh Pant became the stand-in skipper. The middle-order batter from Mumbai, however, wasn’t handed back the leadership reins once he regained fitness for the second half, and subsequently parted ways altogether.

READ | Marco Jansen on PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer: “Never feels like a dictatorship, everyone feels valued”

With Ponting, who was coach from 2018 to 2024, Capitals attributed the Australian’s lack of availability in India through the year as a sore point.

Cut to the present, DC can only cast a wistful sigh at those calls as Shreyas and Ponting return to the Arun Jaitley Stadium as captain and coach of a red-hot Punjab Kings for Saturday’s clash.

Since their reunion at PBKS in 2025, they have transformed a floundering unit into a formidable force, enabling it to exude the flair and aggression that characterises the duo. After a runner-up finish in 2025, Punjab has been just as dominant this season, notching up five wins in six matches (one no-result).

Capitals, to the contrary, are facing a familiar mid-table crisis. After two wins to begin the campaign, frailties have surfaced in recent matches. A case in point was their last match, where Axar Patel and Co. suffered a 47-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad. While the bowlers conceded 242, the bigger concern is the batting unit, which is yet to click as a whole.

For Shreyas and Ponting, then, this is a chance to consolidate Punjab’s position, and remind DC of the reality that both these men have moved on to greener pastures.

Published on Apr 24, 2026