Indian Premier League (IPL) has been the breeding ground for many domestic and international cricketers ever since it came into effect in 2008. Many young and talented cricketers have gone on to become a big name and have represented their national side as well.
As we look forward to the 14th season of the biggest carnival in franchise cricket across the globe, the tournament has gifted many tactical coaches, who have shined with their strategies and man-management. Meanwhile, there have been many cricketers who went to coach the teams they once played for in IPL.
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Let us take a look at 5 such cricketers who coached the same team they once played for in IPL:
1. Brendon McCullum
The Kiwi legend Brendon McCullum had set the tone of the Indian Premier League with his blistering 158-run knock for Kolkata Knight Riders in the very first match of the tournament against Royal Challengers Bangalore way back in 2008. It was one hell of a knock which will forever remain in the hearts of the fans. In the coming years, McCullum had represented many other franchises as well in the tournament.
The star batsman went on to become the head coach of the Knight Riders ahead of 2020 IPL season. Although they didn’t had the desired results, but McCullum will hope to guide KKR to the title which he couldn’t manage to do as a player.
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2. Daniel Vettori
The former Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori was a very impactful player during his playing days. He was a regular feature in the Royal Challengers Bangalore line-up. With his left-arm spin and ability to pull out some extravagant shots in the lower order, Vettori was a key player for his franchise playing 34 matches over five seasons since 2008.
Following his retirement from the game, the New Zealand cricketer began his coaching journey with Bangalore when he joined the franchise in 2014 as the head coach. He was with the team till 2018 and eventually had to step down after failing to deliver the results.
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3. Ricky Ponting
Aussie legend Ricky Ponting started with Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural edition of IPL but later shifted his base to Mumbai Indians. He even captained the side before stepping down midway in 2013 and handing over the reins to Rohit Sharma, who has since then guided Mumbai to five IPL titles.
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Following his retirement from the game, Ponting joined the Mumbai Indians set-up in 2014 and served till 2016 before Mahela Jayawardene took over the role. Currently, he is associated with Delhi Capitals as the head coach and guided them to the finals in IPL 2020 before losing to Mumbai Indians.
4. James Hopes
Former Australia cricketer James Hopes started his IPL journey with Kings XI Punjab in the inaugural edition of the competition. He made a good start but eventually, his performances faded away as the tournament progressed and was later released. He then joined Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals) in 2011 which was also his last season as a player. He also led the franchise in three matches in that season.
Subsequently, Hopes joined the side as the bowling coach of the franchise for guiding the young bowlers. Later, he was released in favour of another Aussie bowler, Ryan Harris.
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5. Stephen Fleming
Another Kiwi in the list is Stephen Fleming, who represented Chennai Super Kings in the 2008 season of IPL. He played 10 matches scoring 196 runs at an average of 21.77 with the highest score of 45. In the next season, he was appointed as the head coach of the franchise and since then, has been with them forming an outstanding partnership with skipper MS Dhoni.
He coached Chennai Super Kings for six years before it got suspended from IPL for two years according to the decision of Justice RM Lodha committee. In IPL 2016 he became the coach of Rising Pune Supergiants. In IPL 2018, he returned as coach of Chennai Super Kings after two years suspension. He has guided Chennai to three IPL titles along with the Champions League T20 in 2010.
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