Delhi appoint new head coach ahead of 2026-27 domestic season
Vijay Dahiya (Source: X/@vijdahiya)
Published - 25 Sep 2026, 05:08 PM• Read time - 2 mins
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Vijay Dahiya has been appointed head coach of the Delhi senior men's team for the 2026-27 season. Dahiya replaces Sarandeep Singh, who guided Delhi over the previous two seasons. Former India pacer Parvinder Awana and Sanjeev Sharma have been appointed bowling coaches, while Kuldeep Rawat and Kshitiz Sharma will serve as assistant coaches.
Interestingly, this will be Dahiya's fourth stint as Delhi's head coach. His first tenure remains the most memorable, as Delhi defeated Uttar Pradesh in the final of the 2007-08 Ranji Trophy. Led by captain Gautam Gambhir, Delhi registered a convincing nine-wicket victory at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium in January 2008. Aakash Chopra (102), Rajat Bhatia (139*) and Gambhir (130*) were the three centurions for Delhi in that final.
His second stint as Delhi head coach came during the 2012-13 season, followed by another tenure from 2014-15 to 2015-16. He also served as the head coach of Uttar Pradesh during the 2021-22 domestic season.
Dahiya brings vast coaching experience to the role. He coached Purani Dilli 6 in the recently concluded season of the Delhi Premier League (DPL). He was also the assistant coach of Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2026 and has previously held the same position with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Former Delhi batter Krishnan Bhaskar Pillai has been retained as chairman of selectors. Praveen Gupta and Manu Nayar are the other members of the selection committee. Virat Kohli's childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, has been appointed team mentor and will oversee the development of both the senior team and age-group squads.
Delhi endured an underwhelming Ranji Trophy campaign last season, drawing six of their seven matches and losing the remaining fixture against Jammu & Kashmir, the eventual champions.
Dipti Dhyani will remain the head coach of the Delhi women's team. She will have Sonu Sharma, Ashish Malhotra, Gautam Vadhera and Mandeep Kaur as assistant coaches.