Cricketers who played the IPL as a player and then a coach
The Indian Premier League is all set to step into a landmark 10th season beginning from the 5th of April 2017. The cash-rich league has emerged as one of the most anticipated cricket tournaments in the world for the sheer talent and entertainment that it brings out to the masses.
The IPL, which began in 2008, has been the ideal platform for emerging talents in India, apart from bringing in players from different cricketing cultures and giving youngsters a chance to mingle with their idols.
Over the history of the IPL, many players have earned a name for themselves and have rebooted their careers through consistent performances in the IPL. In addition to this, there are some players who have plied their trade in the IPL and have also chosen to mentor/coach a particular team following their retirement.
Here, we take a look at some of these players who have donned the coach/mentor’s role after their IPL career.
#10 Brett Lee
Played for – Kings XI Punjab (2008-2010), Kolkata Knight Riders (2011-2013)
Mentored – Kolkata Knight Riders (2013)
Fast and destructive with the ball in hand, Brett Lee was grabbed by the Kings XI Punjab in the inaugural season for a whopping sum of USD$900,000 but featured in only four matches, picking up four wickets.
In 2009, he featured in only five games with his best performance coming against Kolkata Knight Riders where he picked three wickets. However, 2010 was his worst as he went wicket-less from the four games he played and was thrashed all over the park to end with a rather poor economy of 10.27.
After a poor season, Lee was released by the Kings XI Punjab and was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for whom he played three seasons from 2011-2013.
In 2013, when he was still KKR’s premier pacer, he took up the bowling mentor’s role after a vacancy came about following Wasim Akram's choice to take a one-year break.