Ipswich Witches Captain Danny King Confident for 2025 Premiership Title Bid

Having first joined Ipswich Witches in 2003, Captain Danny King has expressed his support for the team’s pursuit of the Premiership title, following the finalization of their rider roster for the upcoming year. The Witches were defeated 92-88 by Leicester Lions in the 2024 play-offs, a season largely impacted by a shoulder injury sustained by former world champion Jason Doyle. Doyle, an Australian rider, is set to return in 2025, alongside Emil Sayfutdinov, who was the team’s top scorer last season. Additionally, Ipswich has secured the signing of Tom Brennan, a rider from the championship-winning Poole Pirates squad. Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk, King stated: “It’s going to be a fantastic season. Last year it was really strange – at some point every single rider in the team was out injured. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that in my career. But we’ve managed to keep the main part of that team and we’ve brought in an exciting rider in Tom Brennan, so I think if anything we’re possibly stronger and hopefully we can go on and finish what we didn’t do this year.” Ipswich’s most recent triumph was the 2023 Knockout Cup; however, their aspirations of defending the trophy were thwarted by a 100-80 aggregate loss to Sheffield Tigers. The club has secured the domestic league title four times, with their last victory occurring in 1998. King considers the presence of Doyle and Sayfutdinov — the latter having also missed a portion of last season following a significant crash in August — to be pivotal for their prospects of securing another title next year. He remarked: “Everyone knows they’re the main two guys in the league, so we’re very fortunate to have them both in our team. The way that they want to ride for Ipswich speaks volumes – we’ve got them back, and (if they stay) injury free, we’ve got a very good chance.”