Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly set to join Delhi Capitals as Director of Cricket
New Delhi (PTI): Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly will be returning to the IPL as Director of Cricket with the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming edition, sources close to the development said on Tuesday.
The former India captain, who stepped down from the BCCI president's post in October, will also oversee all the cricket verticals of the franchise along with the ILT20 team Dubai Capitals and the SA T20 league side Pretoria Capitals.
"Yes, Sourav will be back with Delhi Capitals from this year. The discussions and modalities are over. He has worked with the franchise, shares a good comfort level with owners and if he would have worked in IPL, it would have always been with DC," an IPL source tracking the developments told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
It couldn't be confirmed whether Ganguly will have any minority stake in the franchise co-owned by GMR and JSW groups.
Ganguly was the mentor of Delhi Capitals during his stint with the franchise in 2019.
It is understood that Delhi Capitals' recent auction picks had both head coach Ricky Ponting and Ganguly's footprints.
The IPL franchise owners, with their diversification, are now looking at global roles for all big names who are associated with the respective franchises.
"If you look at Gautam Gambhir with Lucknow Super Giants and Durban Super Giants and Mahela Jayawardena with MI Emirates and MI Cape Town along with Mumbai Indians, the roles are becoming diverse as in foreign leagues, you aren't often dealing with same set of players," the IPL source added.
Ganguly and Ponting are two of the sharpest cricket brains but it will be interesting to see how the two collaborate in bringing about optimum performance from Delhi Capitals in the IPL.
It will be a big challenge for both Ponting and Ganguly with regular skipper Rishabh Pant all but out of IPL after his horrifying car accident last week.
Pant the skipper is replaceable but Pant the batter-keeper remains one of the biggest game-changers despite his underwhelming T20 performance.
In fact, Delhi Capitals had released Kona Bharat, who was picked at the last auction by Gujarat Titans.
None of the top line Indian white-ball wicket-keepers are available, with Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals), Ishan Kishan (MI), Wriddhiman Saha (GT), Upendra Yadav (SRH), KL Rahul (LSG) being already taken by one franchise or the other.
As of now, the only other available skipper in the squad is Englishman Phil Salt.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Minister Patil chairs industry meetings to chart growth for key sectors in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Tuesday chaired meetings with industry representatives from the aerospace and defence, machine tools, auto/EV, and green energy sectors to discuss sector growth and government support measures.
The meetings were attended by leading industrialists and their representatives, with some participating virtually.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister for Large and Medium Industries said Karnataka is at the forefront of the country’s aerospace and defence sectors.
He noted that Suzuki and Toyota plan to launch aerial taxi services in Japan by 2028, with Bengaluru-based Sasmos supplying electrical equipment for the project.
Industrialists suggested introducing similar “fly-taxi” services in Karnataka through an appropriate policy, which Patil said would be examined seriously.
The minister highlighted the need to establish testing centres and Common Facility Centres for the aerospace and defence industries and assured that these facilities would be provided.
Suggestions were also made to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for sector growth.
Karnataka has urged the Central Government to approve Defence Corridor projects in the Bengaluru North–Kolar–Chikkaballapur and Dharawada–Vijayapura–Belagavi regions.
Industrialists also suggested a corridor between Bengaluru and Mysuru, Patil said.
He said Karnataka aims to become a hub for defence electronics manufacturing, with plans to establish a 200-acre Defence Electronics Park and a 100-acre Avionics and Sensor Park.
These projects will be implemented once the Special Investment Region is operational, and land availability will not be an issue.
On the machine tools sector, Patil said the industry has recorded an annual turnover of Rs 36,500 crore and is witnessing steady growth.
Large-scale exhibitions have increased demand, and the state must strengthen its capabilities to develop control systems for heavy machinery. One testing unit is already operational in Bengaluru, with another planned for Tumakuru. Expansion of vocational training institutes in industrial areas is also underway.
In the Auto and EV sector, Vision Group members highlighted the need for a network of dry ports and more EV charging stations across the state.
Patil noted that the Tata Group is manufacturing EV buses in Dharawada for nationwide supply. Plans for mini excavator production and export facilitation were also discussed, along with the establishment of a testing facility for two-wheeler EVs.
For the Green Energy sector, the group emphasised the need for a suitable policy on battery-based energy storage and the establishment of data centres.
Patil assured that the government will seriously consider all suggestions and respond positively.
_vb_21.jpeg)