File photo of Sanjay Bangar.© BCCI
Punjab Kings (PBKS) have parted ways with head coach Trevor Bayliss and head of cricket development Sanjay Bangar ahead of the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season, according to ESPNcricinfo. As per the report, the decision was made recently by the franchise board, which includes the four co-owners. This move is part of the franchise’s efforts to revamp its coaching staff. Earlier this month, Punjab Kings appointed Ricky Ponting as their new head coach. Bayliss took over as head coach after IPL 2022, while Bangar joined the franchise in December 2023. The Kings, who have yet to win an IPL title, finished eighth in 2023 and ninth the previous season.
Interestingly, Bangar’s first association with Punjab Kings was as head coach from 2014 to 2016, after which he became the assistant coach for the Indian national team.
He later joined Royal Challengers Bangalore as a batting consultant in 2021 and was subsequently promoted to head coach. In December 2023, he returned to Punjab Kings.
Bayliss replaced former India captain Anil Kumble, who held the head coach position from 2020 to 2022.
In their quest for a winning formula, Punjab Kings have frequently changed coaches over the past decade. Kumble was the fifth coach to lead the team in just five seasons, following Sanjay Bangar (2014-2016), Virender Sehwag (2017), Brad Hodge (2018), and Mike Hesson (2019).
PBKS have recently signed Australia’s World Cup winner Ricky Ponting as their new head coach.
“The biggest thing that I want to do at Punjab Kings is make everyone aware that it’s going to be a different place. We are not going to sit back and just accept mediocrity and finish down the bottom and have other people sit back and talk about the way the franchise is going. It is going to be more dynamic. And people are going to be talking about this team and this franchise in a different way than ever before,” Ponting said, as per quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
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