Who is owner of delhi daredevils team

Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, Delhi finished third in before making their maiden IPL final appearance in However, the Capitals couldn't get their hands on the elusive IPL trophy.

In the last two years, Delhi has emerged as the most improved IPL franchise. The on-field performance has helped the franchise grow in terms of its popularity among the fans and gain financial impetus in its brand value. The deal between the two companies involves a swap of leading the team management after every two years starting IPL The brand value for Delhi Capitals has grown by leaps and bounds in the last two years. Sourav Ganguly had a huge role to play in both those trades.

While the IPL was going on [last year] he and Ricky had a lot of discussions on what kind of players we need to further strengthen Delhi Capitals. Dada mentioned Rahane and Ashwin to Ricky and Ricky was very keen on both those players. All of us discussed it. Based on the slow nature of the wicket at the Kotla, based on the fact that the ball spins a lot, stays low, we felt Rahane could play a very vital role for the team.

And, obviously, Ashwin with his experience and his variety will play a great role. Dada pitched the idea to both Ashwin and Rahane. Both of them [Ashwin and Rahane] felt that if they join Delhi it would strengthen our squad to such a degree that it would give our squad a great chance of winning the IPL.

BFC have been very successful in the seven years of their existence. Our experience with Bengaluru FC has really helped us in shaking things up at the Delhi franchise. At the core of our success at BFC have been two very simple facets: one has been treating players and support staff in the utmost professional way possible. So it's a tall order, but we've set ourselves up as contenders. Two years ago we were not even contenders. Now every website and every pundit is saying that Delhi Capitals is a contender, and most are saying that Delhi Capitals is a favourite for the playoffs.

That's a big change, and we need to keep building on it. The players have to do the job on the field. We have to create the best atmosphere around them to make them successful. That's all we can do. The rest is up to the players and the support staff, and we as owners have to support them to the hilt.

Every player will have a bad run - it doesn't mean you just drop them. You have to back them, you have to make them feel like they are part of your family, and only then will they perform. That the Capitals are being talked about as playoff contenders even before the tournament starts - does that tell you that you're achieving the target you've set yourself?

It is very gratifying. Last year we went in with no expectations and we came third. It was a really amazing season with a young captain. This year the expectations are very high. So the pressure is higher on me, higher on the coach, higher on the players. We have to respond to this pressure and we have to live up to our billing.

You are only as good as how high you finish in the league stage of the IPL. That is the real barometer of success, according to me at least. Because in a semi-final or a playoff game, it is about how good you are on the day. But across 14 matches, that's where consistency and depth of squad really comes across in a league format.

So, yes, the pressure is higher, and the fact that people are talking about us as a playoff contender is gratifying feeling, but it will only have meaning if we actually achieve the results we've set out to do. What is it about Shreyas Iyer that makes you believe that he is a good leader? Shreyas exudes confidence and calm. That is a phenomenal combination to have as a leader.

He does not get bogged down by pressure, he thrives on it. I've seen him be extremely open to suggestions. Last year we had a lot of senior players in the team: Shikhi bhai [Dhawan] was there, Ishant bhai [Ishant Sharma] was there, Amit bhai was there [Amit Mishra].

The way Shreyas took all of their feedback in while taking decisions was really great to see. He was also captaining international stalwarts like Rabada and Trent Boult. Ricky and Sourav were very impressed with him as a captain. Between last year and this year, Shreyas has had a lot of international cricket under his belt.

He has cemented his place in the [Indian] limited-overs team. And that has given him an another degree of confidence. Now he's knocking on the door of a Test call-up. He told me before they left for Dubai that his target for this season is to get a call-up to the Test squad. He's an ambitious person by nature. Everyone really likes him. He's very popular with the whole team, and he's willing to learn and willing to hear everyone out. That's a very tough question. It is a lot of lot of pressure, and I don't want to put any pressure on Rishabh Pant because he's already under a tremendous amount of pressure, even though he doesn't show it.

The pressure for any Indian wicketkeeper after MS Dhoni is just enormous, and we saw that last year when India was playing and Pant missed a couple of stumpings and the whole crowd started chanting "Dhoni, Dhoni, Dhoni.

Dada said he is one of the most talented and gifted cricketers that India has. He is also very hard-working and he needs a little bit of luck and he can be one of the biggest names in the IPL. He has all the potential to be one of the leading run scorers in the IPL.

Last year itself he was, I think, No. The year before that he was the No. He has been performing in and out, and he's the only Indian wicketkeeper to score a Test hundred in both Australia and England. So he has incredible potential and we are extremely lucky and fortunate to have him in our team.

One name has come up a lot during this interview: Ganguly. There was a lot of talk before he became BCCI president about the conflict of interest in his role at the Capitals and the Cricket Association of Bengal at the time. He told us that he is in contention and he is not going to be a part of the Delhi Capitals as long as he is involved with the BCCI.

I was crestfallen because his involvement was a huge factor last year for the team. From that day onwards he has not spoken to me or anybody about the Delhi Capitals or about anything to do with the player strategy or auction strategy or match strategy. Other than just being a great friend of mine and a mentor to me, he has no involvement with the franchise. We really miss him at the franchise.

This year is going to be the last year of your first cycle of ownership, before GMR become lead decision-maker. So how much pressure are you under to win the title? Ricky and I had a long discussion about three weeks ago about the targets for this season. We have set ourselves the goal of making it to the playoffs. I personally feel that if Delhi Capitals does not make it to the playoffs, then I as an owner and the chairman of the franchise have failed.

I'm very clear to everyone about that.