Exclusive interview: West Delhi Lions head coach Sanjeev Sharma reveals secret of DPL T20 title win

In the first edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Deccan Chargers, who have since been scrapped, finished at the bottom of the eight-team competition in 2008. The next year, they made a most dramatic turnaround and won the title under Australian Adam Gilchrist.

Sixteen years later, West Delhi Lions (WDL), under the guidance of head coach Sanjeev Sharma, made an identical quantum leap in the 2025 Delhi Premier League (DPL) T20. They had lost eight of their 10 matches and finished eighth and last in the maiden DPL season in 2024. However, they did a Deccan Chargers and clinched the DPL title in a major reversal of fortune, after a shake-up of personnel before the season started and meticulous planning.

The franchise owners first hired former India pacer Sanjeev Sharma as head coach and then picked Nitish Rana, who was returning to Delhi from Uttar Pradesh after representing them for two seasons, as captain.

Sharma, a seasoned coach, outlines the reasons for the fantastic turnaround for the team that languished at the bottom. “First, I consider myself a normal coach. Had I worked and acted like a former Test player, I wouldn’t have gelled with the players properly. Wherever I have worked – be it with Vidarbha, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir or elsewhere – players have always been more important to me. I acted like a normal teacher to them,” Sharma tells Patriot in an exclusive interview.

“I motivated the WDL players at team meetings. And we remained close to each other as a unit. I didn’t let a day go by without meeting the players. In all, we had 13 meetings with our video analyst, the first of which was held in Chhawla, where we played three preparatory matches,” the 60-year-old coach disclosed.

“Even after we lost three successive matches in the league phase, following a superb start, I told the players that those losses were like ‘victories’ — to keep them motivated. My idea was to tell them that they were playing well, despite the team losing points. That kept their confidence high. Also, franchise owner Rajan Chopra gave us a free hand.”

Keeping it simple

Sharma, who played 23 One-day Internationals and two Tests between 1988 and 1990, said his mantra was to keep things simple. “I hardly talked about technique with the players. I just told them that their careers were very important. I told them that there would be a few new things for them at the DPL, like playing under the floodlights at the stadium and songs that would be a distraction. So, I asked them to play normally,” he said.

WDL made a roaring start to the season by winning the first two matches by big margins. Then they lost three consecutive matches before gathering themselves again and remaining unbeaten until the final. The team qualified for the playoffs as the third team on the table with 11 points from 10 matches. “We qualified because, importantly, we maintained a good net run rate all through, thanks to the two big wins at the start,” underlines Sharma.

Bonding together

Bonding was another key element to WDL’s success. “We had a very tightly knit schedule. No one was allowed to go home, except for a few hours on the Raksha Bandhan day. We just didn’t realise how a month passed by. Until the end of the tournament, the boys maintained the same level of energy. They remained energetic throughout because they felt that they could make their future at the DPL,” he said.

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Sharma said a lot of hard work went into the players’ auction as well. “We did proper homework. For instance, Hrithik Shokeen was going unsold when I insisted with the management that we should buy him at the bargain price of Rs 5 lakh, reasoning that he was worth Rs 15 lakh-Rs 20 lakh. There were a few more similar successful buys,” he points out.

Catches win matches

WDL players initially missed crucial catches before improving at the business end of the tournament. “In the league matches, we missed a lot of catches when the ball went high up or went long distances parallel to the ground. The reason was that the youngsters who were coming from under-19 and under-23 age groups were used to playing under sunlight and here they were playing under floodlights for the first time,” said Sharma. “There’s a huge difference between playing matches during day time and at night. However, we improved in the playoff matches and held brilliant catches.”

And, finally, Sharma talked technique with the players after the trophy was won. “I talked about technique with the promising players, including Ayush Doseja, who we had retained from last year’s DPL, consistent Krish Yadav, Shubham Dubey, an outstanding bowler with good ideas; Manan Bhardwaj, who has a good bowling action; Ankit Rajesh Kumar; and, Aniruddh Chaudhary. They are all intelligent players,” he averred.

“Aniruddh is promising as a fast bowler who maintains a speed of 140 km/h. Manan, too, is a good prospect. I must add that Krish, Shubham and Manan also speak well and with confidence at team meetings.”

Nitish leads the way

Sharma praised Nitish’s captaincy as well. “His captaincy was superb, the way he managed the boys while I chipped in with suggestions. Captaincy is very important, and it clicked. And the playoffs would be identified with his regaining form,” he says, referring to the left-hander’s three crucial, undefeated knocks in the three knockout matches.

In the Eliminator, Nitish hammered 134 off just 55 balls while chasing 202 against South Delhi Superstarz. In Qualifier 2, he scored 45 off 26 balls against the East Delhi Riders, and in the final against the Central Delhi Kings, he carted 79 off 49 balls to take his team to the title.

Sharma also had a special word for his co-coaches and support staff whom he had handpicked. “We had a very good trainer, Sanjeev Chaudhary, who was with the Delhi Ranji Trophy team last season. He did a marvellous job.”

Finally, Sharma, who has coached state teams of Sikkim and Vidarbha among others, shared his feelings at the end of it all. “This title triumph is a very big achievement for me,” he admitted.

Now, there is a talk in the Delhi cricketing circles that after his successful stint with WDL, Sharma, a former Delhi Ranji Trophy coach, is expected to land an important assignment with the DDCA, whether as a coach or a selector. If that happens, it won’t come as a surprise.