Delhi Capitals appoint Ian Bell as assistant coach ahead of IPL 2026
Delhi Capitals have appointed former England batter Ian Bell as assistant coach ahead of the upcoming IPL 2026 season. The franchise confirmed the development on their social media handles on Tuesday (February 10).
Bell, a veteran of 118 Tests, 161 ODIs and 8 T20Is, has never been involved with an IPL setup in the past and this marks his first foray into the league as a coach. He boasts of vast coaching credentials since hanging up his boots from all forms of cricket in 2020, though, having worked with the England Lions and under-19 setups. He also worked with the Sri Lankan Test team as batting coach during the tour of England in 2024.
Bell was also briefly involved with the New Zealand men's team during their tour of England that preceded the 2023 ODI World Cup. In addition to this, he has also served as assistant coach of Birmingham Phoenix in the Men's Hundred.
At the Capitals, Bell will join a coaching staff helmed by Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao, head coach Hemang Badani and bowling coach Munaf Patel. Australian Matthew Mott was the assistant coach of the Capitals during IPL 2025, where they stumbled after a solid start to finish fifth, missing out on a berth for the playoffs in the process.
