Reports: Gary Kirsten to make IPL comeback as Rajkot coach
Gary Kirsten, who recently parted ways with Indian Premier League (IPL) team Delhi Daredevils, is set to make a return to the IPL as newly-joined team, Rajkot. According to a report on Indian Express, the former Indian coach is in talks with the Intex-owned team from Rajkot.
Kirsten, who has experience of working with Indian players Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, is reportedly Rajkot's first choice as the coach of their team. The former South African opener was the coach of India when India catapulted to the top of the Test rankings as well as led them to the 2011 ICC World Cup.
The 48-year-old had also been in charge of the South African national team and gained considerable success with the Proteas. The South Africans reached the pinnacle of Test rankings under the guidance of Kirsten. However, his two seasons in the IPL with the Daredevils did not not bear as much fruit.
Rajkot, who have a contract just for two years, are looking to appoint someone who has been successful at the international level. As per sources, the players who were drafted into the Rajkot outfit were told that the team would get Kirsten as their coach.
Along with Indian national team players, Raina and Jadeja, Rajkot have attacking Kiwi batsman, Brendon McCullum, and two top-quality all-rounders in Dwayne Bravo and James Faulkner.
The Sanjeev Goenka-owned Pune outfit, which roped in Indian limited-overs captain, MS Dhoni is looking to unite Dhoni with Stephen Fleming. The former New Zealand captain was with Dhoni at the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and led them to five IPL finals winning two and finishing runners-up in the remaining three.
Faf du Plessis and Ravichandran Ashwin are the two other players from CSK while Ajinkya Rahane and Steven Smith joined the Pune team from the Rajasthan Royals.
The IPL auction is set to take place in the month of February where the two new teams will try and further strengthen their squads. The ninth edition of the IPL is set to begin in April 2016 after the end of the World T20 that is scheduled to be held in India.