Before the IPL 2027 auction, Delhi Capitals head coach Sourav Ganguly has named the two foreign batsmen of his choice. He wants to bring back Australia's Jake Fraser McGurk and West Indies' Shai Hope in the team. Both players have played for Delhi before.
Sports Desk: There is still time for the next season of IPL to start, but Delhi Capitals have started preparations for their team. The new head coach of the franchise, Sourav Ganguly, this time has his eyes set on two foreign batsmen who have previously worn the Delhi jersey. One of these names is of Jake Fraser McGurk of Australia and the other is of Shai Hope of West Indies.
Ganguly wants to see both of them in his team again. However, for this Delhi will have to wait for the auction to be held in December. Other franchises can also bid on these players.
Which two players did Sourav Ganguly name?
After taking over the coaching of Delhi Capitals, Sourav Ganguly is preparing to make some changes in the team. He is especially eyeing foreign players to strengthen his batting. Meanwhile, he has expressed his interest in Jake Fraser McGurk and Shai Hope. In IPL, teams usually avoid telling which player they want to buy before the auction. But Ganguly has put forward his choice. Both the batsmen have played for Delhi before, so the team management is familiar with their game.
The mini auction of IPL 2027 is proposed on 16th December in Goa. Before this, by November 17, all 10 franchises have to give the list of their retained and released players. After this it will be clear which players will be available in the auction.
Jake Fraser McGurk's bat played well in the first season
Young Australian batsman Jake Fraser McGurk played his first match for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024. He was not a part of the team initially. When South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi was out, Delhi called him as a replacement. McGurk caught everyone's attention with his batting as soon as he got the chance. In that season he played nine matches and scored 330 runs. His strike rate was 234.04. His ability to score runs quickly in the powerplay was very useful for Delhi.
Considering this performance, the franchise bought him again in the mega auction of 2025. For this, Delhi used Right to Match i.e. RTM card and spent Rs 9 crore. However, in the next season McGurk was not able to bat like before. Only 55 runs came from his bat in six matches. After poor performance the franchise released him.
So far McGurk has scored 385 runs in 15 IPL matches. His average is 25.67 and strike rate is 199.49. He also has four half-centuries in his name. Ganguly probably wants to give him another chance, but this time the amount Delhi will bid will be known only in the auction.
Ganguly wants to bring back Shai Hope also
Apart from McGurk, Shai Hope is also included in the choice of Delhi Capitals. This West Indies wicketkeeper batsman was bought by Delhi for Rs 75 lakh in the IPL 2024 auction. Hope got a chance to play nine matches that season. In these he scored 183 runs. However, Delhi did not retain him for the next season.
Hope is counted among the experienced batsmen of West Indies in international cricket. Along with opening the innings, he can also bat in the middle order if needed. Having the option of wicketkeeping also works in his favor. Hope has worked on his batting style in T20 cricket for some time now. For this reason, Ganguly is considering him as a useful player for Delhi. However, his return to the team is not decided yet.
Major changes also took place in the coaching staff of Delhi
Before IPL 2027, Delhi Capitals has made changes not only in the players but also in the coaching staff. The franchise had announced the appointment of Sourav Ganguly as the head coach on 6 October 2026. After this, former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was given the responsibility of assistant coach and batting coach. Yuvraj will be seen formally coaching in IPL for the first time.
Former Indian spinner Amit Mishra has been made the spin bowling coach. At the same time, former Sri Lankan fast bowler Chaminda Vaas has got the responsibility of working with the fast bowlers. Delhi now wants to perform better in the next season with this new coaching staff. Ganguly's first priority will be to prepare a team in which there is a perfect combination of young batsmen and bowlers with experienced players.