Delhi Capitals release assistant coaches Ajit Agarkar and Shane Watson after IPL 2023

Delhi Capitals (DC) were the first team to get eliminated from the IPL 2023.

The Delhi Capitals (DC) didn't have great performance in the recently concluded edition of the Indian Premier League in 2023. They started the season with five defeats on the trot and became the first team to be eliminated from the competition. The team that had some big names on the team and even in the support staff had a horrible season. The likes of Ricky Ponting, Sourav Ganguly, Shane Watson, Ajit Agarkar, Biju George and James Hopes made a strong coaching unit.

But DC couldn't use it. In the end, they ended up in 9th place with only five wins from the 14 games they played. However, it looked like the horrible performance that the team had in the 16th edition had made an impact for sure. As DC assistant coaches, Ajit Agarkar and Shane Watson have decided to part ways with the franchise.

Ajit Agarkar and Shane Watson part ways with the Delhi Capitals (DC)

Nearly a month after the conclusion of the 16th edition, both assistant coaches have decided to part ways. The confirmation came when the franchise made a post on Twitter, quoting, "You’ll always have a place to call home here, Thank You, Ajit and Watto, for your contributions. All the very best for your future endeavours." Notably, there were rumors that the franchise was considering cutting short its long coaching staff after losing consecutive games.

The former Indian pacer joined the DC coaching staff ahead of the IPL 2022. On the other hand, Watson also joined the franchise in 2022. Meanwhile, Agarkar is also among the contenders for India's team chief selector job. DC made the playoffs three consecutive seasons between 2019 and 2021.

But they couldn't do it in the last two seasons. In 2022, they came pretty close but lost their last group match against the Mumbai Indians and finished fifth. But the 16th edition didn't go as expected for the Delhi-based franchise. They suffered a big blow ahead of the start of the season when Rishabh Pant suffered a horrible car accident in December 2022. He was ruled out of the season, and David Warner took over the captaincy. But it didn't end well, and Delhi had one of the poorest seasons of all time.