Kochi still hopes to persuade Ganguly to be in team management

New Delhi, Feb 12 (PTI) Sourav Ganguly may have shotdown a mentor''s job in an Indian Premier League team, but theKochi franchise is still interested in having the former Indiacaptain in the team management.

Sources said the Kochi franchise is not giving up hopeto persuade Ganguly to take up a position in team think-tankthough he had recently said that he would still want to playin the IPL.

"He (Ganguly) has got long years of experience at theinternational level as player and leader. He will be an assetto the team in any capacity. So, we are still hoping that wecan persuade him to take up a position in the team management.

We would like him to be involved in building the team forfuture," a team source said.

The Kochi team, which will be led by former Sri Lankacaptain Mahela Jayawardene, is set to begin its recruitmentdrive of domestic players from Kerala and neighbouring states,the source added.

Jayawardene, who was bought by the franchise at USD 1.5million, is expected to be officially named as captain soonand that will set the ball rolling for team building for IPLIV.

At last month''s players'' auction, Kochi successfully bidfor Team India pace bowler S Sreesanth and Sri Lankan spinlegend Muthiah Muralitharan among others.