 "Bayliss, McCullum to England; Gambhir for India? Rise of KKR coach's stocks | IPL 2024 News")
Gautam Gambhir, Mentor, Kolkata Knight Riders. Photo: @@KKRiders
The deadline for applying for the role of Indian cricket team’s coach ended on May 27, and more than 3000 applications were received by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, the main talking point has been Gautam Gambhir, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024-winning coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), being approached for the role.
However, Gambhir is not the only KKR coach who could become a national coach after a great season with the franchise. Before him, three other such coaches have made headlines after a stellar season with KKR.
Bayliss, an Australian coach who came into the reckoning when Knight Riders picked him up in 2012, won two trophies with the franchise. He, along with Gambhir as captain, was phenomenal, winning the coveted IPL titles in 2012 and 2014.
Just after his successful stint with KKR in 2014, Bayliss was called upon by then Director of England Cricket, Andrew Strauss, who wanted to build his white-ball team from scratch after a horrific showing in the 2015 World Cup.
Bayliss went on to do wonders with that team as he won the ODI World Cup in 2019. However, before that, he had taken the team to the final of the 2016 T20 World Cup, before the ‘remember the name’ show from Carlos Brathwaite snatched the trophy away from him and his team.
Brendon McCullum
McCullum, a former KKR star of the past, was approached for the coaching role ahead of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in 2020. He coached Trinbago Knight Riders and won them the CPL trophy. He was then asked to coach the Kolkata side in the 2021 IPL, which was played in the UAE due to Covid. Mid-season, McCullum was named red-ball coach of the England team.
It was befuddling in the sense that McCullum had proven his skills in the white-ball format by winning the CPL and taking KKR to the final of IPL, but he chose to coach a Test side in international cricket.
However, time told us that it was a revolutionary move as with his Bazball, he changed how Test cricket was perceived by not only England but the entire world.
Matthew Mott
Very few people know that the current England white-ball coach Matthew Mott, who won the T20 World Cup 2022 with the English side, also worked with KKR in two stints. He was assistant coach to Kolkata’s first coach John Buchanan and applied to take over in IPL 2009 after his senior was sacked after a poor outing in the inaugural season for the franchise.
However, Mott was not appointed head coach and he separated from the IPL before returning to assist Brendon McCullum in 2021.
What About Gautam Gambhir?
Gambhir, who previously mentored Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for two seasons in 2022 and 2023 and took them to the playoffs in both those seasons, has never had a proper job as a coach. He has been doing his odd commentary stints and was also a Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from East Delhi.
Now that he has given up his political dreams by not getting a ticket from the ruling party, a notable nationalist, Gambhir fits into the scheme of things for the BCCI headed by Jay Shah as secretary. Shah has already denounced seeking to appoint any foreign coaches.
“Neither I nor the BCCI have approached any former Australian cricketer with a coaching offer,” Shah had clarified. “It’s crucial that our coach has an in-depth knowledge of our domestic cricket framework to truly elevate Team India to the next level,” he added in that same statement.
Gambhir is available as the right candidate with his ‘go for the kill’ attitude, an understanding of Indian cricket, and respect among Indian cricketers. The announcement might be made sooner rather than later confirming another KKR coach as a head coach of another national team and this time it could be India.
First Published: May 28 2024 | 6:33 PM IST
