Punjab Kings Set To Appoint Indian Head Coach Ahead of IPL 2025 - Report

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Punjab Kings has reportedly decided to not renew the contract of head coach Trevor Bayliss as the franchise look to appoint an Indian in the role ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

Bayliss had signed a two-year contract, replacing Anil Kumble as the head coach of the Punjab Kings before the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. But the renowned Australian is set to follow his compatriot Ricky Ponting out of the IPL after his contract expires in September.

According to CricBuzz, PBKS want to part ways with Bayliss and replace him with an Indian coach. The franchise wants to take this approach after recent success of Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambir, Chandrakant Pandit and Ashish Nehra.

The report further added that Sanjay Bangar, who joined the franchise as director of cricket last year, is one of the prime candidates to take over as the head coach for his second stint in the role, having previously been in the role from 2014 to 2016.

Former PBKS skipper Yuvraj Singh, who has been linked with a role at Gujarat Titans, also may be approached by the franchise, but as things stands the ownership group has maintained that no decision has been taken yet.

Dravid also will be discussed, but the T20 World Cup winning head coach is reportedly close to taking up the role at his former side Rajasthan Royals. Delhi Capitals also will be on the lookout for a head coach, while Kolkata Knight Riders as well will be adding to their support staff.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru named Dinesh Karthik as the batting coach, while VVS Laxman has been linked with taking up a role at Lucknow Super Giants. A lot of changes is expected around the coaching set up of various franchises.

Mumbai Indians also may be considering a replacement for Mark Boucher after the franchise had their worst-ever finish in IPL history earlier this year. Gujarat Titans also are reportedly set to part ways with Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki.

KKR, the defending champions, will also need to make a lot of additions to their coaching set up after mentor Gambhir, assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate took over roles at the Indian cricket team.

So, it won't be easy for Punjab Kings to find the right candidate externally as other teams also are looking for candidates with the same profiles, leaving Bangar the likely candidate to take over as the head coach ahead of IPL 2025 Mega Auction.

PBKS, who surprised many with their retentions last year, are set for a major overhaul again with just two or three players likely to be retained as the rest will be released. Arshdeep Singh, Shashank Singh and Jitesh Sharma may be PBKS' retention options before the mega auction.

Shikhar Dhawan, who led the team in the last three seasons, is set to be released alongside Sam Curran, the franchise's most expensive player as the franchise looks for a major rebuild and will want the head coach to be part of their plans for the next season.

The CricBuzz report added that a decision on the new head coach was to be taken at the board meeting earlier this week on July 22, but the meeting did not take place and PBKS are believed to have broadened their search ahead of the mega-auction scheduled to be held later this year or at the start of 2025.