Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Daredevils were on Tuesday renamed as Delhi Capitals and the announcement was made in a function in the capital by owners GMR Group and JSW Sports.
Co-owners Parth Jindal, representing JSW Sport, and Kiran Kumar Grandhi of GMR, unveiled the new name of the team.
“Delhi is the power centre of the country, it is the capital, therefore the name Delhi Capitals,” Jindal said.
The team has retained the old red and blue colour in the new team logo.
“Our logo has been inspired by the design of Parliament House. Tiger is our national animal and the three tigers idea is derived from the Ashok Chakra,” said Jindal.
The change in name comes close on the heels of JSW Sports picking up a 50 percent stake in the franchise. Ahead of the 2019 IPL auctions, the Delhi Daredevils released former captain Gautam Gambhir and a host of international stars which include Jason Roy, Glenn Maxwell and Liam Plunkett, along with Indian paceman Mohammed Shami.
“We obviously can’t share them with you. The core of the team has remained the same for the last couple of years. We need to invest more in the youth and going forward, that is something we will continue to focus on,” said Jindal.
“With Dhawan, we have got more solidity at the top. And the young guys who have been with us (Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant) are doing well for India. The captain and coach are the same, there is continuity there,” said the JSW Director, when asked about the team’s dismal run season after season.
The Delhi franchise is looking to make a fresh start in the league after years of underachievement. Delhi in fact are the only original team to have never made it to the final of any edition of the IPL. The squad has already been bolstered by the return of Shikhar Dhawan, who has switched over from Sunrisers Hyderabad. In a video message played during the function Dhawan said that he is happy to be back to his home city and is looking forward to do well in the upcoming season.
The team boasts of a battery of young Indian stars which include captain Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw.
Mohammed Kaif was earlier named as the team’s assistant coach while Ricky Ponting continues to be the head coach of the team.