Let’s take a look at the coaching staff of all the IPL teams this season.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Head Coach – Brendon McCullum – This former Kiwi captain revolutionised the game with his fearless brand of cricket. As one of the game’s most destructive batters and one of New Zealand’s most successful captains, he was appointed as the head coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2019. McCullum is also the head coach of KKR’s sister team, Trinbago Knight Riders, with whom he lifted their fourth CPL title and his first ever as coach.
Assistant Coach – Abhishek Nayar – Seasoned all-rounder Abhishek Nayar, who has represented four IPL teams during his time as a player, took up the role of Assistant Coach for the Knight Riders following a stint as Mentor and Head Coach of the KKR academy in 2018.
Mentor – David Hussey – A T20 veteran of over 300 matches and a former Knight Rider himself, Hussey joined KKR in 2019 along with Kyle Mills, who came onboard as the Bowling Coach.
Bowling Coach – Kyle Mills – The former Kiwi speedster, a veteran of 170 ODIs, 42 T20Is and 19 Tests, joined KKR as their Bowling Coach in 2019.
Assistant Bowling Coach – Omkar Salvi – Former Mumbai bowling coach Omkar Salvi, along with Nayar, was the Bowling Coach at the KKR Academy. Post his stint there, he was promoted to coach Knight Riders’ senior side.
Fielding Coach – James Foster – A former wicketkeeper, who represented Team England on 7 occasions in Tests and 11 in ODIs, had coaching stints at Glamorgan (for the 2019 T20 Blast) and Khulna Tigers (in the Bangladesh Premier League) before signing on as KKR’s Fielding Coach in 2020.
Head Physiotherapist – Kamlesh Jain – A London Metropolitan alumni, Kamlesh worked with a sports injury clinic in Chennai before taking up the role of Head Physiotherapist with the Bengal cricket team in 2011. Jain joined the KKR camp during their first championship-winning season in 2012 and has been associated with the club every since.
Strength and Conditioning Coach – Chris Donaldson – A former Olympician who represented his country in two Olympics, Donaldson is a seasoned sprinter who serves the Strength and Conditioning Coach to not the Knight Riders but also the Kiwi men’s national team.
Fun fact, Chris’ father is film director Roger Donaldson (Cocktail, Species, Dante’s Peak, and The November Man)
Mumbai Indians
Head Coach – Mahela Jayawardene – Sri Lanka’s most successful captain and one of their greatest batters, Jayawardene was the batting consultant for the England men’s cricket team in 2015. Post his time with the English squad, Mumbai Indians roped the Sri Lankan great in as a replacement for Ricky Ponting during the 2017 IPL. Having won the trophy in his very first year, Mahela has gone on to win 3 more titles with the Indians.
Fun fact (or not, for Jayawardene) – Mahela is the only batter till date to have scored a century in an ICC Men’s World Cup final and end up on the losing side, which he did at the stadium his Mumbai team call home!
Batting Coach – Robin Singh – Singh initially joined the Mumbai Indians as their Head Coach in 2010. In 2012, he was appointed as their Batting Coach. MI weren’t the first team Singh coached. During the inaugural season of the IPL, Singh was the Head Coach of the Deccan Chargers. He has also coached the Barbados Tridents in the CPL.
Bowling Coach – Shane Bond – Regarded as one of the best bowlers to come out of New Zealand since Richard Hadlee, Bond combined his supreme pace with accuracy to be considered as one of the deadliest bowlers of his time. Although his career was plagued with injury, Bond amassed almost 300 ODI wickets and has the second-best strike rate for a bowler in Tests.
Following his experience with the New Zealand men’s national team as their Bowling Coach from 2012-15, he was appointed the Bowling Coach of MI in 2015 and has been with the club ever since.
He is also the head coach of BBL franchise Sydney Thunder.
Fielding Coach – James Pamment – Pamment was appointed as MI’s Fielding Coach in 2017 post the departure of Jonty Rhodes.
Pamment has also served as the Interim Coach of the USA men’s team.
Director of Cricket Operations – Zaheer Khan – Arguably one of India’s greatest fast bowlers, Zaheer Khan announced himself on the international stage during the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy. Fifteen years later, Zaheer Khan retired as one of the country’s best to have played the game, helping India lift the second World Cup in 2011, where he finished as the joint-highest wicket taker.
Khan also had two stints with the Indians as a player before joining the team as a Bowling Mentor in 2018. He currently serves as the Director of Cricket Operations at the club.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Head Coach – Trevor Bayliss – A two-time IPL winning coach with the Kolkata Knight Riders, a CLT20 and BBL title winner with the Sydney Sixers and a World Cup winner with the English men’s national team, Bayliss knows how to go that final yard in the quest for glory.
The decorated Aussie was appointed as Head Coach for the Hyderabad franchise in 2020.
Assistant coach – Brad Haddin – A World Cup winner and a crucial member of Australia’s Ashes whitewash of England in 2013/14, Haddin enjoyed his first coaching stint as the Fielding Coach of the Australian men’s team in 2018.
In 2019, the Sunrisers appointed him as the Assistant Coach.
Batting Coach – VVS Laxman – Known as “The 4th Innings Maestro”, VVS Laxman needs to introduction. Even though Laxman was one of the ‘Icon Players’ during the inaugural season of the IPL, he gave up that status so that his team could have a bigger budget in the auction. Even though he was captain of the Hyderabad franchise, Laxman has always been a team player and stepped down when his team went through a rough patch.
An India great, Laxman was signed on by the Sunrisers Hyderabad as their mentor in 2013.
Bowling Coach – Muttiah Muralitharan – The highest wicket taker in both Tests and ODIs, one cannot ask for a better bowling coach than this Sri Lankan spin-wizard. Appointed as their Bowling Coach in 2015, Murali helped SRH win their first trophy in 2016.
Did you know? Just as he left many a batters stumped throughout his career, Murali stumped the Sri Lankan cricket board in 2015 when he joined the Australian cricket team as a consultant against the Sri Lankans!
Fielding Coach – Biju George – Former Indian cricketer and Fielding Coach of the Indian women’s team and the U19 men’s team, George joined SRH in 2020 with a wealth of experience. He has had a previous stint with KKR during the 2016 and 2017 season where he was appointed as their Cricket Coordinator.
Director of Cricket – Tom Moody – A veteran coach, Moody was the Head Coach of SRH from 2013 to 2019 and helped them win their first IPL trophy in 2016.
In December 2020, Moody was appointed as SRH’s Director of Cricket. Moody’s résumé boasts an impressive number of teams coached such as the Kings XI Punjab, the Melbourne Renegades, the Multan Sultans and the Montreal Tigers. The former Australian international also serves as Director of Cricket to Sri Lankan men’s national team.
Chennai Super Kings
Head Coach – Stephen Fleming – One of the all-time greats and an acute reader of the game, it is no surprise that the Chennai Super Kings are one of the most successful teams in the IPL when they have two of the greatest cricketing brains in MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming in charge.
A member of the first CSK squad in 2008, Fleming was appointed as the Head Coach of the CSK team in 2009 and has been the coach ever since, overseeing 3 IPL trophies for the Chennai based team.
In the two years when CSK were barred from playing in the IPL, Fleming coached the Rising Pune Supergiant and almost won the title with them too, finishing runner-up in 2017.
Batting Coach – Michael Hussey – Aptly nicknamed ‘Mr. Cricket”, Michael Hussey had a highly successful international career, ending with a Test average of over 50. Along with his immense practical knowledge of the game, Hussey is known to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the game too, which led to his famous “Mr Cricket” tag.
Following his retirement from all forms of the game, Hussey was roped in as the Batting Coach for the Chennai Super Kings
Fun fact, in an era where youngsters debut at the age of 20 and even less, Hussey made his test debut at the age of 30!
Bowling Coach – Lakshmipathy Balaji – Just like his career, which went under the radar albeit being highly impactful, Balaji has been quietly working behind the scenes at CSK since his appointment as their Bowling Coach in 2018.
Did you know? Lakshmipathy Balaji holds the record for registering the very first hat-trick in the IPL in the very first season!
Bowling Consultant – Eric Simons – A former Protea who represented the South African team on 23 occasions in ODIs, Simons had his major breakthrough when he served as the Coach of the national men’s side from 2002 – 2004.
Simmons was also a part of the Indian World Cup-winning squad in 2011 where he served a role as the team’s Bowling Consultant.
He was appointed as CSK’s Bowling Consultant in 2018.
Fielding Coach – Rajiv Kumar – A former Indian first-class player who represented both Bihar and Jharkhand in the Ranji trophy as well as India A, Kumar was also one of the top scorers during the 1997/98 Ranji season.
Kumar’s first stint as a coach came when he coached the Jharkhand U19 team in 2014, post which he was announced as the Head Coach of the Jharkhand senior team – a post he holds till date.
Kumar joined CSK as their Fielding Coach in 2018.
Fun fact, CSK skipper MS Dhoni played under Kumar, who was his captain at Jharkhand!
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Head Coach – Simon Katich – Even though Katich’s numbers speak for themselves, due to the immense talent of the star-studded Australian team of his era, he didn’t get as many opportunities as he should have. Having previously served as the Assistant Coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Simon Katich was roped in as RCB’s Head Coach in 2019.
Fun fact – Simon Katich also served as the Football Operations Manager of the Great Western Sydney Giants AFL club.
Batting Consultant – Sanjay Bangar – A reliable all-rounder during his playing days, an all-rounder is exactly what he is as a coach as well! Starting his IPL coaching career with the now defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2010 as their Batting Coach, Bangar guided the Kings XI Punjab squad to their only IPL final appearance till date – in 2014. Bangar was also the Batting Coach of the Indian men’s national team and stepped in as Interim Coach whenever required.
He saw out his tenure with the national team as an Assistant Coach.
Bangar was appointed as RCB’s Batting Consultant in 2021.
Batting and Spin Bowling Coach – Sridharan Sriram – This Chennai-born batter boasts of a stellar First-class record with an average above 50 along with almost 300 wickets. Sriram had coaching stints with the Australia A side and was the Coaching Consultant of the Australian men’s national team in 2015.
In 2019, RCB roped in Sriram with the hopes of using his knowledge and experience as their Batting and Spin Bowling Coach.
Bowling Coach – Adam Griffith – The big Aussie is no newcomer to the coaching world.
Having been the Bowling and Assistant Coach of Western Australia in 2011, Griffith was promoted to become the Bowling Coach of the men’s national side in 2016.
RCB roped Griffith in as their Bowling Coach in 2020. Along with RCB, Griffith also serves as the Head Coach of Tasmania.
Fielding Coach – Malolan Rangaranjan – The former Tamil Nadu all-rounder has had quite the coaching experience in his young career. In 2020, the now 32-year-old was appointed the Assistant Coach of the CPL franchise St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Appointed as RCB’s Head of Scouting in 2019, Rangarajan plays a key role in assessing and keeping an eye out for young talent for the Bangalore-based franchise.
Strength and Conditioning Coach – Basu Shanker – A former sprinter turned performance coach, Basu Shanker is credited for the Indian men’s national team’s athletic prowess over the last few years, bringing about a transformation that has shown its results on the pitch. As Strength and Conditioning Coach at RCB, Shanker makes sure the team puts in that extra yard on the field that will help make the difference.
Director of Cricket Operations – Mike Hesson – As one of the pioneers, along with Brendon McCullum, to have revolutionised the way New Zealand approached the game, Mike Hesson took over as Head Coach of the New Zealand men’s national team in 2012 from John Wright. Over the next six years, Hesson introduced a brand of cricket which saw the Kiwis become one of the most successful teams during the period, making him one of the most successful coaches around.
RCB roped in Hesson to make use of his experience and knowledge in 2019 as their Director of Cricket Operations.
Rajasthan Royals
Director of Cricket – Kumar Sangakkara – As one of the greats of the game, there aren’t many cricketers who’ve had a career as decorated as Sangakkara’s. He was the first non-British person to hold the position of President of the MCC in 2019.
The Royals named Sangakara as their Director of Cricket in 2021.
Mentor – Shane Warne – The King of Spin himself. Considered as one of the greatest players to have played the game, Shane Warne needs no introduction. As RR’s captain in the very first season, Warne led the ‘underdog’ Royals to their only IPL trophy till date. He currently serves as Mentor and Brand Ambassador for the Jaipur-based outfit.
Development and Performance Director – Zubin Bharucha – A former First-class cricketer, Bharucha has been with the Jaipur-based franchise right from the beginning while also donning the cap of Head Coach since 2012.
Assistant Coach – Trevor Penney – A gun fielder during his days, Penney has previously served as Assistant Coach to the West Indies men’s team and as Head Coach to the Sri Lankan men’s national team.
Penney has had plenty of IPL experience, having previously worked with the Kings XI Punjab, the Kolkata Knight Riders, and the Deccan Chargers before being appointed as Assistant Coach of the Rajasthan Royals in 2021.
Batting Coach – Amol Mazumdar – Whether Amol Mazumdar is the best player never to have donned the Indian jersey is debatable, but what isn’t is his mind-boggling numbers at the First-class stage. After stints with the India U19 men, the Dutch men’s national team and the South African men’s national team, Mazumdar was appointed as Batting Coach for the Royals in 2018.
Spin Bowling Coach – Sairaj Bahutule – A former Mumbai player, Bahutule has previously coached the Kerala and Bengal teams before being appointed as Rajasthan’s Spin Bowling Coach.
Spin Bowling Consultant – Ish Sodhi – Kiwi spinner and former No. 1 ranked T20 bowler Ish Sodhi was roped in as Spin Bowling Consultant after two seasons with the Royals as a player.
Fast Bowling Coach – Rob Cassell – The Aussie, who has previously been Assistant Head Coach and Fast Bowling Coach with the Irish men’s national team in 2017, joined the Royals as their Fast Bowling Coach in 2020.
Fielding Coach – Dishant Yagnik – Rajasthan-born Yagnik, who previously represented the Royals from 2011-15, now serves as their Fielding Coach.
Punjab Kings
Director of Cricket Operations and Head Coach – Anil Kumble –The only Indian till date to have taken 10 wickets in an innings, and the third highest wicket taker of all time, Anil Kumble is regarded as India’s greatest match-winner. Having previously served as Chief Mentor with the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians, Kumble had an extremely successful stint as the Head Coach of the Indian men’s national team. He joined the Punjab franchise in 2019 as their Head Coach and then was appointed Director of Cricket Operations.
Fun Fact – Till date, Kumble holds the record for picking up a five-wicket haul in the IPL, having conceded just 5 runs!
Assistant Coach – Andy Flower – Flower’s coaching record is as decorated as his playing one. As a batter, Flower averaged over 50 in Tests, statistically being the best batter ever for Zimbabwe.
Flower’s coaching career has seen him coach the England men’s national team, the St. Lucia Zouks, the Multan Sultans, the Peshawar Zalmi, and in 2020 he joined the Punjab team as their Assistant Coach.
Batting Coach – Wasim Jaffer – The most capped Ranji trophy player and the highest run-scorer in Ranji trophy cricket – few boast a career like Wasim Jaffer’s.
He has previously held the position of Batting Coach for the Bangladesh men’s national team and Uttarakhand team before joining Punjab Kings as their Batting Coach.
Bowling Coach – Damien Wright – A prolific fast bowler in his time, the Australian has had coaching stints with the New Zealand men’s national team, the Melbourne Stars and the Hobart Hurricanes. He has also served as Bangladesh U19 men’s Head Coach.
Punjab roped him in for the 2021 IPL as their Bowling Coach.
Fielding Coach – Jonty Rhodes – If you want a fielding coach, you can find none better than Rhodes. He transformed the way the world looked at fielding and made it an important aspect of the modern game.
Rhodes has been Fielding Coach for the Mumbai Indians previously and was appointed by Punjab as their Fielding Coach in 2020.
Delhi Capitals
Head Coach – Ricky Ponting – Regarded as one of the greatest captains of all time, Ponting lead Australia during a period where no team could match their skills on the pitch. Having led Australia to two consecutive World Cup wins, Ponting is regarded as one of Australia’s all-time greats.
Following a coaching stint with the Mumbai Indians and then working as an Assistant Coach with the Australian men’s national team, Ricky Ponting joined the Delhi Capitals as their Head Coach in 2018.
Batting Coach – Pravin Amre – A former India batter, Amre is one of the few players to have scored a hundred on debut for his country. Though his international career wasn’t a very long one, Amre still contributes to the domestic and national circuit through his coaching. He was the coach of the World Cup-winning Indian U19 team in 2012 and has also been the Assistant Coach of the now defunct Pune Warriors India and Batting Coach of the USA men’s national team.
Amre was appointed as Assistant Coach of the Delhi Capitals in 2021.
Did you know, Ramakant Achrekar, coach of Sachin Tendulkar, once famously stated Amre would be a better batter than Tendulkar!
Spin Bowling Coach – Samuel Badree – T20 specialist Samuel Badree was a part of the 2012 World Cup-winning West Indian side.
Badree has played all over the globe in different T20 leagues and his experience is what Delhi hope to pick at as they have him on board as their Spin Bowling Coach in 2020.
Fast Bowling Coach – James Hopes – A reliable all-rounder during his playing days, Delhi Capitals hope to bank on all of Hopes’ knowledge as they have him on board as their Fast Bowling Coach.
Fielding Coach – Mohammad Kaif – Kaif was one of the players who was not only handy with the bat – a good finisher – but also revolutionised fielding for the Indian team with his athletic prowess during the early 2000s.
After a stint as Assistant Coach with the Gujrat Lions in 2017, Kaif was roped in by the Delhi Capitals as their Fielding coach.
Wicket-keeping Coach – Ajay Ratra – A member of the Youth World Cup-winning Indian squad in 2000, Ratra was a promising aspect for the Indian team in the early noughties. Unfortunately, with the rise of Dhoni, Karthik and Parthiv Patel, Ratra’s international career never really took off.
With a decent domestic record, the Capitals appointed Ratra as their Wicket-keeping Coach and Assistant Coach in 2021.
Written By
Aditya Chaudhuri
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