3 min readMar 25, 2026 04:00 PM IST
Former England batter Ian Bell has said that he was looking forward to working with Indian batter KL Rahul during his stint as the assistant coach of the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL 2026. The 43-year-old said he is keen to build relationships with domestic players in the DC setup and would not focus on tinkering techniques.
“He is a classy player. I’m fascinated to see him up close. The key is making sure you build those relationships”.
“Unlike county or international setups, where you have more time. I don’t think technique is the first thing you go to with the international players. And I don’t teach players to bat like I did. In my view, a good way of working with players is to help them find the best version of themselves,” Bell told The Guardian.
Bell revealed that he did not land the role because he was friends with anyone in the DC coaching staff, adding that he had to go through a proper process before getting picked for the role.
“I have built up a good relationship with Hemang and [director of cricket] Venugopal Rao in those other roles. But it was a proper process. I certainly wasn’t given it because of, you know, being mates … or mates of mates. I could probably shout about my coaching more, but it’s not really in my nature. I’ve just tried to get my head down and earn my stripes,” he said.
The former England batter said that in his mind, he always wished to become a coach since he wanted to be more involved with the “rollercoaster of being emotionally invested”.
“In my head, I always wanted to coach. Some of the people I have admired most in the game – guys like Andy Flower and Graham Gooch, two of the best – made me want to follow them into it. I tried a bit of media work, but I always left the ground a bit … I wanted just more involvement, that rollercoaster of being emotionally invested.
Story continues below this ad
“I felt it was important to get away from Warwickshire and build up new experiences. That was the plan. In my view, if you stick around, you start coaching guys you played with, friendships possibly complicate things, old routines carry on, etc. That kind of thing.”
“And at a Test county, you only see one side of it. Part of the appeal of Derbyshire was both working with Mickey Arthur and – don’t get me wrong – the fact it wasn’t the flashiest place. Tight budgets, tough decisions. I now have a far more rounded understanding of the landscape,” he said.
DC begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on Wednesday.
