The Indian Premier League (IPL) team Punjab Kings (PBKS) has reportedly ended the journey with Trevor Bayliss and Sanjay Bangar, the head coach and head of cricket development, respectively.  

Earlier this month, the Punjab Kings officially announced Ricky Ponting as the new head coach of the team. The team CEO Satish Menon also revealed that Ponting will handle the team for the next four years. 

Ponting’s appointment almost confirmed Trevor Bayliss’ exit from the team. Punjab Kings also ended their contract with Sanjay Bangar.

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Trevor Bayliss joined Punjab Kings after IPL 2022

Bayliss joined Punjab Kings as the head coach after the IPL 2022. The Australian had replaced Anil Kumble in the head coach role. Kumble coached PBKS from IPL 2020 to IPL 2022. While the Punjab franchise finished in sixth places under Kumble’s three-year coaching, including in the ten-team competition in the IPL 2022, the team finished in eighth and ninth places under Bayliss’ coaching in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, respectively.

Sanjay Bangar rejoined Punjab Kings in December 2023

On the other hand, Sanjay Bangar joined Punjab Kings as head of cricket development in December 2023. Previously, Bangar was the head coach of the Punjab franchise between 2014 and 2016. 

Punjab Kings are struggling

Punjab Kings, formerly known as Kings XI Punjab, are among the most underperformed teams in IPL history. Although they debuted in the inaugural edition of the IPL (2008) and appeared in every IPL season, they only managed to finish in the top four twice. 

During the inaugural IPL season, the Punjab franchise finished in second place in the points table but lost the semi-final against Chennai Super Kings. 

In the IPL 2014, Punjab Kings finished on top of the points table. Although they lost the Qualifier 1 against Kolkata Knight Riders by 28 runs, they won the Qualifier 2 against Chennai Super Kings by 24 runs to book their ticket for the final. In the final of that tournament, they lost against Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets in the final over and finished as the runners-up. 

In the Champions League T20 2014, Punjab Kings were eliminated from the semi-final. 

Following in the footsteps of two time ODI World Cup winning captain Ricky Ponting, another Australian Trevor Bayliss is expected to leave his coaching role in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Bayliss the head coach of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) may part ways with the Mohali based team before the IPL season 2025.

The Punjab Kings did not make it to the playoffs this year, finishing ninth out of ten teams. They managed only six wins and suffered nine losses. The last time PBKS made it to the playoffs was in 2014.

Bayliss’s contract ends

Trevor Bayliss’s two-year contract with the Punjab Kings, owned by Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, has ended. Reports suggest that the team is unlikely to renew his contract for the next T20 season.

According to Cricbuzz, the Punjab Kings are looking for an Indian coach for the 2025 IPL season. They are considering several candidates including Sanjay Bangar, who was previously the head coach and is now the director of cricket development.

A board meeting to decide on the head coach role was scheduled for July 22, but it didn’t happen. The team is still exploring other options before the mega-auction later this year.

Why Bayliss might leave

Sources say PBKS wants an Indian coach to lead the team. Although they don’t have issues with Bayliss’s coaching style, they are unhappy with the results over the past two seasons. Despite having a strong squad, the team has not performed well. Bayliss took over from Anil Kumble before the 2023 season.

Indian coaches are popular in the IPL. Recently, Gautam Gambhir and Chandrakant Pandit guided the Kolkata Knight Riders, while Ashish Nehra led the Gujarat Titans to the title in 2022. Dinesh Karthik will join the Royal Challengers Bengaluru as a batting coach for the upcoming season.

Bayliss has coached Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Punjab Kings, as well as the England cricket team. However his recent T20 record has been disappointing. The PBKS management will review the last season’s performance before making any final decisions.

Future of IPL coaching

Rahul Dravid is drawing interest from several IPL teams. The future of Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki with the Gujarat Titans is uncertain. The Kolkata Knight Riders are also expected to appoint new coaches after Gautam Gambhir, Abhishek Nayar, and Ryan ten Doeschate moved to the Indian team.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar has expressed concern over Hardik Pandya’s unexpected removal from leadership roles following the BCCI’s announcement of the squad for the Sri Lanka tour. The selectors have appointed Shubman Gill as the new vice-captain for both white-ball formats and Suryakumar Yadav as the new T20I captain.

The decision was surprising to many, as Pandya was anticipated to assume leadership duties after Rohit Sharma’s retirement, having led the team in his absence since 2022. Bangar commented that he would have expected Pandya to be named captain for the T20 World Cup had he not been sidelined by injury during the ODI World Cup.

“I’m somewhat surprised that Hardik isn’t the T20 captain. Before the last T20 World Cup, it seemed likely that if Rohit hadn’t taken over as captain and Hardik hadn’t been injured, Hardik would have been appointed as the captain,” Bangar said on Star Sports.

Bangar further described the decision as a troubling step backward for the team.”The Indian team was moving in a certain direction, and the selectors appeared to be aligned with that path. This sudden change feels somewhat concerning. It’s known that the chairman of the selection committee and the coach have spoken with Hardik Pandya,” he added.Pandya first captained India in June 2022 during the tour to Ireland and continued to lead the team in T20s after their exit from the T20 World Cup 2022. However, his injury in the ODI World Cup impacted his leadership role.

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Pandya’s stellar performance in the T20 World Cup 2024

Pandya made a remarkable return in the T20 World Cup 2024, playing a crucial role in India’s triumphant campaign with both bat and ball. He amassed 144 runs from six innings at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 151.57, including one half-century. His highest score came against Bangladesh in the Super 8 stage, where he remained unbeaten on 50* off 27 balls.With the ball, the right-arm seamer claimed 11 wickets in eight innings at an average of 17.36 and an economy rate of 7.64.

His standout bowling performance came in the final, where he took 3/20 in three overs, dismissing Heinrich Klaasen (52 off 27) and David Miller (21 off 17).In the final over, Pandya successfully defended 16 runs, removing Miller on the very first ball with a spectacular catch by Suryakumar Yadav, securing a seven-run victory for India.