Delhi’s Yash Dhull is once again at the helm, leading the team against Pondicherry in the Ranji Trophy. This marks a full circle moment, as his last captaincy stint for Delhi was precisely against the same opponent in the 2023-24 season opener.
That previous encounter ended in a disheartening nine-wicket defeat for the seven-time champions, a loss that led to Dhull being relieved of his leadership duties. He was then tasked with refocusing solely on his batting, as expected of a top-order player.
Following that setback, Dhull has steadily found his form, accumulating a series of impressive scores. Now, by a twist of fate, the 22-year-old finds himself back in the captain’s role as Pondicherry arrives for their Elite Group D clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, starting this Saturday.
It’s worth noting that Dhull is serving as interim captain, stepping in for Ayush Badoni, who is currently engaged with India-A’s crucial four-day match against South Africa-A at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
This unexpected return to captaincy offers Dhull a golden chance to demonstrate how much he’s matured over the past year. He displayed exceptional form in Delhi’s recent drawn game against Himachal Pradesh, notching two brilliant half-centuries that helped his side secure first-innings honors. While Delhi seemed poised for an outright victory on the final day, Himachal’s Ankush Bains and Pukhraj Mann put up a resilient fight on a challenging pitch, denying Badoni’s squad a decisive win. So far this season, Delhi has earned three points from each of its two matches, both by virtue of gaining a first-innings lead.
To truly reignite their campaign and push for a knockout berth this season, Delhi must now target nothing less than a full points victory against Pondicherry.
Meanwhile, their southern opponents, under the leadership of 39-year-old left-arm spinner Sagar Udeshi, have struggled for consistency. Pondicherry currently sits in the lower half of Group D, having collected only two points from two successive draws against Himachal and Hyderabad.