After another season where they failed to qualify for the play-offs of the Indian Premier League, Punjab Kings are planning to shake up their support staff. The three-year contract of Anil Kumble, who is the head of cricket operations and head coach of the franchise, ends in September and as things stand, is unlikely to be offered a new contract.
The franchise is planning to sit down with Kumble in the coming days to discuss the future, but it is understood that it has already started the search for a new head coach.
It is reliably learnt that the franchise is already on the lookout for a new head coach with former England captain Eoin Morgan being one of the top contenders for the role. There is also a strong possibility that Punjab may face competition from Sunrisers Hyderabad to hire Morgan, who recently retired from international cricket. The 35-year-old is believed to be on the radar of Hyderabad franchise too, who are contemplating their future with Tom Moody.
The other option in front of Punjab is former England coach Trevor Bayliss, who is not new to the IPL. He has been part of Kolkata Knight Riders and has won two titles with the franchise in 2012 and 2014. However, his biggest success was with England, where with the help of Morgan, transformed their limited-overs team on their way to winning the 2019 World Cup. Bayliss returned to the IPL with Hyderabad and coached them in 2020 and 2021.
That the franchise is looking at Morgan and Bayliss isn’t surprising. After narrowly missing out on IPL play-off berth in 2020 and 2021, Punjab went for a total revamp of the team ahead of the 2022 season. Having preferred an aggressive brand of cricket to play, they stocked the team with power-hitters and were considered one of the favourites to make it to the play-offs. Instead, they fumbled once again before eventually settling for a sixth spot. In three seasons under Kumble, the seven wins they managed in last season is their highest.
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Having assembled a balanced squad at the auction, the franchise expected to make the play-offs for the first time since 2014. With the performances not being up to the mark, the franchise is planning a revamp of their support staff.
Other than Morgan and Bayliss, the franchise is also in touch with one Indian coach who is currently associated with another franchise. Even former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie is believed to be among the options. Even in case Punjab go for an overseas head coach, they are still keen on having the said Indian coach around.
With regards to Hyderabad, it is not yet clear if they will part ways with Moody. The Australian is currently serving his second stint with the franchise and with Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Dale Steyn already part of the support staff, there are deliberations if Moody is needed going forward. If not, the franchise may consider Morgan, who has been part of the team before as a player.
As things stand, the rest of the teams are likely to continue with the same support staff.