Delhi, March 19 – Delhi Capitals have appointed former Irish all-rounder John Mooney as their new fielding coach ahead of the upcoming 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL), which will begin on March 28.
He will join an experienced coaching staff at Delhi Capitals, including Hemang Badani as head coach, former Indian fast bowler Munaf Patel (bowling coach), and former England player Ian Bell (assistant coach). Venugopal Rao is the team's director in the 2026 IPL.
Mooney, who holds Level 3, 2, and 1 coaching certificates from the England Cricket Board, replaced Gnaneswara Rao and Anton Roux, who both left after the conclusion of the 2025 season.
The former Irish player had previously served as the fielding coach for Afghanistan from 2018 to 2019, during their Test debut in India. He also worked with the West Indies men's team in 2019 and has been a temporary coach for the Ireland women's team since January of this year.
He has represented Ireland in 91 international matches, including three ICC Cricket World Cups (2007, 2011, and 2015) and two ICC Men's T20 World Cups.
A left-handed batter and right-arm fast bowler during his playing days, 43-year-old Mooney played 64 ODIs and 27 T20Is for Ireland from 2006 to 2015. He famously hit the winning runs in Ireland's historic victory over England in the 2011 World Cup in Bengaluru.
Delhi suffered a significant setback ahead of the season as their mentor, Kevin Pietersen, withdrew from the tournament.
India's 2026 T20 World Cup champion, Axar Patel, will continue to lead the team for another season. The team also has experienced Indian players like KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav, along with Australia's premier bowler Mitchell Starc, who will provide a strong challenge to the opposition.
Delhi Capitals narrowly missed a playoff spot in the last season. They finished in fifth position by securing seven wins in 14 matches. They have never won an IPL trophy, and the team will aim to achieve this in the 19th season.