IPL 2016: Know your coaching staff
The coaches form a very important part of any IPL team and franchises look to recruit the best in the business to mould their respective teams.
IPL is also an opportunity for young players to learn their trade from some of the best in the business from India and around the globe. The different perspectives that people from around the cricketing world bring helps the budding cricketers know better about the game and holds them in good stead.
Here is a look at the coaching staff of the different IPL franchises.
Mumbai Indians
Mentor - Sachin Tendulkar, Head coach - Ricky Ponting, Coach - Paras Mhambrey,
Assistant and batting coach - Robin Singh, Bowling coach - Shane Bond,
Fielding coach - Jonty Rhodes,Assistant strength, and conditioning coach - Afzal Khan, Trainer - Paul Chapman
Sachin Tendulkar has been associated with the Mumbai Indians ever since its inception and captained the team for 4 seasons. After he announced his retirement from all forms of the game, Sachin has been the mentor of the team and has guided youngsters. He is a critical member of the Mumbai Indians thinktank.
Ricky Ponting, the most successful captain for Australia was signed up in 2013 and he formed a partnership with Sachin Tendulkar at the top. However, he could not quite set the stage on fire and had to hand over the captaincy to Rohit Sharma. He was then appointed full-time coach as he replaced John Wright in the setup.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Head Coach- Jacques Kallis, Assistant Coach- Simon Katich, Bowling Coach- Wasim Akram, Physio- Andrew Leipus, Trainer- Adrian le Roux
Jacques Kallis is arguably the greatest all-rounder to have played the game. he has been associated with the KKR as a player since 2011, and was appointed the batting consultant in 2014. After Trevor Bayliss was roped in by England as their National coach, Kallis has been appointed as the head coach of the team.
Wasim Akram has been the been the bowling coach for KKR since IPL 3, and has formed a close working relationship with skipper Gautam Gambhir and is also respected by the players in the squad. The greatest left-arm quick of all time, Wasim has plenty to offer to Indian cricket and can only benefit the upcoming fast bowlers.
Delhi Daredevils
Mentor- Rahul Dravid (mentor), Head Coach- Paddy Upton, Technical Director- Zubin Bharucha, Batting coaches- Sridharan Sriram and Praveen Amre
Rahul Dravid has earned a lot of accolades for his role in Rajasthan Royals. He is also the coach of India U-19 and India A squad and knows how to deal with young talents. He has been snapped up by Delhi Daredevils as they wish to perform well this season.
Paddy Upton is one of the most sought after coaches in the shortest format, and he was there with Dravid during his days at Rajasthan Royals. He has also won the Big Bash League with the Sydney Thunders as their coach.
Kings XI Punjab
Mentor- Virender Sehwag, Head coach - Sanjay Bangar, Bowling coach - Joe Dawes, Fielding coach - R Sridhar, Physiotherapist - Patrick Farhart, Peak Performance Coach - Anand Chulani
Ever since Virender Sehwag left Delhi Daredevils, he has been instrumental with the Kings XI. He has been handed over the mentorship of the team now and is quite aware of the team dynamics.
Sanjay Bangar was one of the unsung heroes of Punjab’s superlative 2014 season. Bangar has been around the domestic circuit for a long time and he knows how to deal with Indian talent. He pushed a lot of youngsters and that yielded results. He has also spent time with the Indian national team and would love to bring his growing knowledge into the IPL.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Head coach - Daniel Vettori, Assistant coach - B Arun, Batting coach - Trent Woodhill, Bowling coach - Allan Donald, Physiotherapist - Evan Speechley, Strength and conditioning coach - Shankar Basu
Daniel Vettori has been a master when it comes down to utilizing frugal resources with aplomb. And he has no dearth of options at RCB. He has been around the team for long now and will look to stamp his authority over the team. An astute thinker of the game, Vettori certainly can do wonders with the talent at his disposal.
Allan Donald needs no introduction when it comes to fast-bowling and analyzing bowlers. He has been bowling coach of the South African National team, and did quite well there. He has worked with RCB before and will look to monitor the growth of bowlers.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Mentor - VVS Laxman, Head coach - Tom Moody, spin-bowling coach - Muttiah Muralitharan
VVS Laxman has always been associated with Hyderabad, be it during his playing days or as a player for the now defunct Deccan Chargers, or as a mentor with the Sunrisers. He has a clear thinking as is evident from his commentary and will look to inculcate that when he tries to deal with players.
Tom Moody is a cricket man. The tall Australian All-rounder is a cricket commentator, director of cricket for the Caribbean Premier League or now as the head coach of Sunrisers. He brings with him immense knowledge and he has witnessed the game grow and is perhaps one of the best thinkers of the game. He has also coached the Sri Lankan national team.
Rising Pune Supergiants
Head coach - Stephen Fleming, Assistant coach - Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Bowling coach - Eric Simons, Performance analyst - Prasanna Agoram
Along with MS Dhoni, Pune have managed to get hold of Stephen Fleming as their coach and they will hope that this contribution will yield great results. Fleming like Dhoni is laid back but at the same time is tactically very strong as was evident when he was captain of the New Zealand side. He generally stays in the background and if rumours are to be believed there is a bright and more challenging prospect ahead.
Hrishikesh Kanitkar too has been through the grinds of domestic cricket and has been one of its stalwarts. He has already stated his lofty ambitions, and it will be interesting to see how he manages a very high profile job.
Eric Simmons has been associated with Indian cricket for a long time. He was India’s coach during the 2011 World Cup triumph and has been head coach of Delhi Daredevils too. Another great signing for Pune.
Gujarat Lions
Head coach - Brad Hodge, Bowling coach - Heath Streak, Performance coach - Monty Desai
The appointment of Brad Hodge as a coach seems a bit left field considering the fact that he was such a prolific run getter for Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League where he was also their captain. However his demeanor stood out for he never appeared flustered and was never pushed. Good traits for a coach. He is no stranger to the Indian conditions also as he has played for the Rajasthan Royals for a long time.
Heath Streak has done wonders with the Bangladesh bowlers as can be seen the bunch of quick bowlers emerging from the country. Streak is involved and knows how to deal with young bowlers. A great combination indeed.