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IPL 2026: '18 Years And It Hurts; All Three Departments Failed,' Admits DC's DoC Venugopal Rao
DoC Venugopal Rao: For Venugopal Rao, the sense of deja vu must be as stifling as the scorching heat in the national capital. Rao, currently the director of cricket at Delhi Capitals, endured two "wooden spoon" finishes during his time as a player with the franchise from 2011-13, when it used to be called Delhi Daredevils.
The script feels eerily familiar, with Rao now presiding over another collapse. A ruthless eight‑wicket demolition by Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday - DC’s fifth straight home defeat - has snuffed out their playoffs hopes and prolonged the franchise’s agonising pursuit of a maiden IPL crown.
"Eighteen years, obviously it hurts. Seriously, when you look back, when I played during my days, I always wanted to win from Daredevils time to now. It's a learning process for me. Coming into the administration part, a lot of things I'm just learning. As per what the skipper said, we want to try youngsters and let's see," said a dejected Rao in the post-match press conference.
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