Rishabh Pant, Navdeep Saini, Harshit Rana will feature in the inaugural season of Delhi Premier League (DPL), set to commence in the second half of this month, said Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) chief and league president Rohan Jaitely. The T20 tournament, which will have both men’s and women’s matches, will be organised at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The franchise auction for the league was held last Sunday and resulted in the sale of six men’s teams for a total amount of Rs 49.65 crore.

“Rishabh Pant, Navdeep Saini, Harshit Rana and other Indian players will feature in the inaugural season of DPL. I had a talk with Rishabh Pant and he has promised me to participate in the league but it only depends on his availability and national commitments. But as of now, he will be playing. Navdeep and Harshit will also feature in the league,” said Jaitely at the trophy inauguration ceremony on Friday.

The inauguration ceremony has a draft of 270 players all across Delhi, including national, U-23, U-19.

The brand ambassador of the league, former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag showed his enthusiasm about the league and said that it’s a great opportunity for the cricketers who don’t get a chance in the IPL or national team.

“The league will surely be a fantastic opportunity to those players who work hard in the nets and didn’t get a chance in any major tournament. When I used to play in my younger days we didn’t get this type of opportunity to play in different leagues. Now my son is playing I am glad that he will be getting those opportunities, so yes it is a very great opportunity,” he said.

The first season of DPL will feature a total of 40 matches, with 33 games in the men’s category and seven in the women’s.

It will feature six franchises, namely West Delhi Lions, North Delhi Strikers, South Delhi Superstarz, Purani Delhi-6, Delhi Kings, East Delhi Riders.

The matches will be broadcast on Sports 18 and live streamed on JioCinema.

Newly-appointed India head coach Gautam Gambhir has the ability to derive the best out of players when the chips are down, and his affinity to take up challenges head on can make winning a habit for the national team, feels his childhood coach Sanjay Bharadwaj. Gambhir, the World Cup-winning former opener, was given the reins of the India team on Tuesday. He replaced Rahul Dravid, whose tenure ended with the country’s title win in the T20 World Cup in Barbados last month.

“Gautam has the quality to bring the best out of his players. The job of a top coach is precisely that. Gauti knows his players well and can bring the best out of them, using them effectively.

“I feel, as a coach, he has the capability to take India to the pinnacle. He can do the job honestly without any bias and bring the best to Indian cricket. The (ODI) World Cup title which has eluded us for the last 13 years would now start coming,” Bhardwaj told PTI Videos on Wednesday.

Bharadwaj, who has also produced India cricketers such as Amit Mishra, Unmukt Chand and Nitish Rana besides several Ranji players from Delhi, added that Gambhir has the ability to take up any challenge and succeed in his endeavour.

“He always played with a challenge. Since he was 10, he had the winner’s mentality. He always played to win. He never thought that he could lose a match. He was never in doubt.

“Gauti always had a sharp and astute observation power. Gautam has the ability to take up any challenge and then succeed in it,” the veteran coach said about Gambhir, who played a crucial role in India lifting the ODI World Cup in 2011 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Bharadwaj added that Gambhir had predicted Rohit Sharma‘s resurgence when the India captain was going through a lean patch in his early days.

“He has played with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the past. Long back, he had once given his ‘Man of the Match’ to Virat. That shows his golden heart. He told me long back that Rohit Sharma will become a great player one day. This was when Rohit was not among the runs and needed some encouragement. His observation about Rohit proved accurate,” he said.

Bharadwaj added that Gambhir would always stick to his decision if he feels it is right.

“If Gautam ever feels that something is right for the team, he will be firm on that decision. Gautam plays to win. He knows what to do and focusses on having a set team combination. He doesn’t believe in favouritism; the only thing that is his favourite is cricket.”

Bharadwaj said Gambhir went by instincts and backed Kuldeep Yadav and Navdeep Saini.

“He could pick players like Kuldeep Yadav and Navdeep Saini (in the India team setup). They are his product. He also followed his instincts on West Indian all-rounder Sunil Narine (during IPL 2024). His observation and cricketing acumen were always outstanding,” he added.

Gambhir has been a part of two successful World Cup campaigns — in T20 World Cup in 2007 and in ODI World Cup in 2011 –, and Bharadwaj’s advice to his ward is, “be honest in your approach”.

“With his batting, he won two World Cups for India in 2007 and 2011. As a player, you helped India win two World Cups, then propelled KKR to three IPL titles. You have a habit of taking up challenges and conquering them; be honest in your approach and repay the country’s faith in you,” he said.