Daredevils part ways with Upton, Sekar

Delhi Daredevils are set to appoint a new coaching staff after parting ways with head coach Paddy Upton and technical director Zubin Bharucha. TA Sekar, their director, has also resigned citing personal reasons, but assistant coaches S Sriram and Pravin Amre will remain with the franchise.

Earlier this year, Daredevils lost the services of Rahul Dravid as chief mentor, after he opted to remain as coach of the India A and India Under-19 sides. As per the new conflict of interest regulations, Dravid couldn't be associated with an IPL franchise while working with the national side.

Daredevils CEO Hemant Dua said that the decision to not extend Upton and Bharucha's contracts was mutual. "It was a two-year contract, and when the tenure ended both the parties chose to not extend the contract," he told ESPNcricinfo. "They wanted to do their own thing after Rahul's decision [to move on]. They have been a team all this while, so we respect their decision."

Dua confirmed that the franchise has initiated the process of identifying a new head coach and that there would be a restructuring of the coaching staff. "We are in the process and working on it and waiting for some things to settle down," he said. "We will see what is needed, but I think we will restructure a little bit and then we will present it in a new way. We will announce [the new head coach] in probably the next few weeks."

Sekar's exit is notable, considering that except for a brief stint with Mumbai Indians, he was a part of the Daredevils unit since the inaugural IPL in 2008. "We are naturally very disappointed to not have Sekar in our midst going forward, but as a franchise we clearly understand his position," Dua said. "Sekar was an invaluable asset, and his departure leaves a vacuum that will be difficult to fill."

Dua also said that the question of installing a director would be addressed after the appointment of the new head coach.

Sekar expressed gratitude to the Daredevils management. "It has been a very difficult decision for me to make, but it was for purely personal reasons," he was quoted as saying in a statement. "I'm grateful for the support and understanding from the franchise."

Daredevils are yet to win an IPL title and haven't qualified for the knockouts since 2012. Most recently under Dravid and Upton, they finished sixth in 2016 and 2017.