IPL 2022: 9 players who played at the 2011 World Cup and are now coaches in IPL
April 2, 2011 will be etched in the hearts of Indian cricket fans forever because on this day, India won the ICC ODI World Cup. MS Dhoni and his men ended a 28-year-old title drought by winning the 2011 World Cup at home.
India became the first team to win a World Cup final on home soil that year by beating Sri Lanka in Mumbai to capture the trophy. 11 years later, the same city is playing host to the world's grandest T20 league featuring India's World Cup 2011 heroes MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Most members of the Indian squad have retired now. Some of them are enjoying the second innings of their lives with their loved ones, while the others have taken up coaching and commentary as post-retirement careers.
In this listicle now, we will look at nine such players who played in the 2011 World Cup and are coaches of IPL teams in 2022.
#1 Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra played three matches for India in the 2011 World Cup and picked up three wickets for the Men in Blue. His last ODI appearance for India came in the mega-event's semifinal match against Pakistan, where he bowled a match-winning spell of 2/33.
Nehra has now retired from all formats of cricket. He is the head coach of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022.
#2 Michael Hussey
Former Australian batter Michael Hussey played four matches for his country in the mega event which happened in 2011. Hussey did not have a memorable tournament, as he scored 69 runs at an average of less than 25.
The southpaw now works as the batting coach for the Chennai Super Kings team in IPL 2022.
#3 Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting captained Australia in the World Cup 2011. The right-handed batter played six innings for the team, aggregating 206 runs, including a ton against India in the quarterfinals.
Ponting retired from all formats of cricket a year later. He is currently the head coach of Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022.
#4 Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene played for Sri Lanka in the 2011 World Cup. Like Ricky Ponting, Jayawardene registered a century against India in a knockout match, but his team ended up on the losing side.
Jayawardene is the head coach of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He has achieved success as MI's coach, with the team winning the tournament 2019 and 2020.
#5 Brendon McCullum
Former New Zealand wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum is the head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders this year. McCullum played eight games for New Zealand in the World Cup 2011, scoring 256 runs at an average of 42.66.
Four years later, McCullum led the New Zealand team to their maiden World Cup final, where they lost to Australia.
#6 Lasith Malinga
Former Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga played for the Mumbai Indians in all IPL seasons of his career. He was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament's history until the 2022 season.
Malinga, who took Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag's wickets in the World Cup final, is now the fast-bowling coach of the Rajasthan Royals.
#7 Shane Watson
Shane Watson represented Australia in seven games of the 2011 World Cup, aggregating 290 runs at an average of 48.33. He recorded three half-centuries and took three wickets for the team.
Watson now works with Ricky Ponting in the Delhi Capitals coaching staff. He is the team's assistant coach.
#8 Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn was the most successful pacer from the South African squad at the 2011 World Cup. He picked up 12 wickets for the team at an economy rate of 4.15 runs per over.
Steyn retired from all formats of cricket last year. He soon took over as the fast-bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
#9 Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan was the leading wicket-taker for Sri Lanka in the 2011 World Cup with 15 wickets. The off-spinner retired from international cricket after the final of the tournament. He is now SRH's spin-bowling coach.
Apart from the nine names mentioned on the list, Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai Indians icon), Zaheer Khan (Mumbai Indians Director of Cricket), Gautam Gambhir (Lucknow Super Giants mentor), David Hussey (Kolkata Knight Riders mentor) and Kumar Sangakkara (Rajasthan Royals Director of Cricket) also played at the 2011 World Cup and are backroom staff members in IPL 2022.