Former wicketkeeper-batter Vijay Dahiya has been appointed head coach of the Delhi men's senior team for the 2026-27 domestic season, returning to a role in which he once helped deliver the capital side its last Ranji Trophy title. The 53-year-old, who played two Tests and 19 One-Day Internationals for India, replaces Sarandeep Singh in a significant reshuffle aimed at strengthening one of Indian domestic cricket's most storied but recently underachieving teams.
Dahiya is no stranger to Delhi cricket. Since retiring in 2006, he has taken on multiple coaching stints with the side, and it was during his first tenure that Delhi lifted the Ranji Trophy in the 2007-08 season. That triumph remains the benchmark for the team's modern era. In the years since, Delhi have come close but not close enough, with their best finish being runners-up in the 2017-18 campaign. For a team with seven Ranji titles to its name, the gap between legacy and recent results has become increasingly difficult to ignore.
The appointment signals a clear desire from the Delhi cricket establishment to lean on familiarity, experience and institutional memory. Dahiya's previous success with the side gives him a rare advantage: he understands the pressures of the Delhi setup, the expectations that come with representing a heavyweight domestic unit, and the challenge of converting talent into sustained results across a long season. His return also suggests that the selectors and administrators are looking for a coach who can not only manage the dressing room but also reconnect the squad with the standards that once made Delhi a dominant force in the Ranji Trophy.
The support structure around Dahiya has also been shaped with an emphasis on experience. Former pacers Parvinder Awana and Sanjeev Sharma have been named bowling coaches, while Kshitiz Sharma and Kuldeep Rawat will serve as assistant coaches. Rajkumar Sharma, widely known as Virat Kohli's childhood coach, has been appointed mentor for the season, adding another layer of cricketing knowledge and local familiarity to the setup. The combination points to a broad-based attempt to build a staff capable of addressing both technical shortcomings and the mental demands of a demanding domestic calendar.
The selection committee will be headed by K.P. Bhaskar, with Manu Nayar and Praveen Gupta completing the three-member panel. Their task will be to identify and manage a squad capable of competing in a season that begins with a Group-C clash against Bengal on October 11. That opening fixture will offer an early indication of whether the new coaching structure can translate into sharper performances and a more coherent team identity.
Delhi's recent record has not matched the weight of its history, and the pressure to improve has only grown as other domestic sides have strengthened their systems and produced more consistent results. Dahiya's appointment is therefore more than a routine coaching change. It is a statement of intent from a team seeking to recover its place among the most formidable sides in Indian first-class cricket.
Whether that revival materialises will depend on how quickly the new staff can impose clarity, discipline and belief. But with Dahiya back at the helm, Delhi have turned to a figure who has already shown he can guide them to the summit. For a side in search of a reset, that may be exactly the kind of appointment it needed.