Delhi Capitals' strategic mastermind resigns ahead of IPL auction, team pays regards

Delhi Capitals have been extremely consistent in the last two years with the side reaching the playoffs in both editions of the Indian Premier League. One of the reasons behind their success was their strategic mastermind and CEO Dhiraj Malhotra who came onboard with the franchise two years ago. However, after two successful years with Delhi Capitals, Malhotra has decided to move on as he parted his ways with the Capitals.

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Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra parts ways with franchise after two successful years

Colonel Vinod Bisht has been appointed as the interim CEO of the Delhi Capitals. Bisht has been a part of the Delhi-based franchise since 2008. He will take charge as interim CEO of the franchise with immediate effect. Speaking on the departure of Malhotra, Delhi Capitals Chairman Kiran Kumar Grandhi, in an official statement, said that he would like to take the opportunity to thank Malhotra for his time and efforts for the franchise.

Grandhi added that it has been a remarkable last two seasons for Delhi Capitals, and Malhotra has been a crucial part of it. Expressing his gratitude, the DC chairman stated that everyone at the franchise would like to wish him the very best for his future endeavours. The official Instagram handle of the franchise also uploaded a post and thanked Malhotra for his leadership.

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Notably, Malhotra will be replacing Saba Karim as the BCCI's General Manager. The former DC CEO will be in charge of game development and operations. Malhotra has an experience of over two decades of working in the cricket industry. He has also held senior positions at the ICC previously and has been responsible for overseeing cricket operations of various ICC events. Malhotra's responsibilities include determining and monitoring the match playing regulations, standards of venues, including pitches and outfields, besides the administration of the Domestic Tours Programme.

Meanwhile, after having had their best season last year, Delhi will ride on their confidence from IPL 2020 as they head into the competition this year. The comparatively young squad led by Shreyas Iyer hasn't seen many changes since the last two reflecting the faith of the management in the players. Going into the mini-auction, Delhi have released only 6 players and retained 19. 

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DC list of retained players 2021

• Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Lalit Yadav, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Woakes, Daniel Sams

DC list of released players 2021

• Mohit Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Keemo Paul, Sandeep Lamichhane, Alex Carey and Jason Roy 
• Remaining Purse: ₹9 crore

IPL auction date and time

After a lot of curiosity around the IPL auction date and time, the BCCI on January 27 revealed that the IPL 2021 auction will take place on February 18 in Chennai. The IPL auction live streaming will begin at 3:00 PM (IST).  Fans in Indian can tune in to the Star Sports Network to catch the live telecast of the program. The IPL auction live streaming will also be made available on the Disney+Hotstar app and website as well as on JioTV.

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SOURCE: DHIRAJ MALHOTRA INSTAGRAM