The Indian Premier League (IPL) has provided to be a game-changer for Indian cricket. It has enormously changed the landscape of Indian cricket and has been the bread and butter for several cricketers.
Since its inception in 2008, IPL has transformed in several ways. It has witnessed a myriad of changes and a lot of players have turned into coaches as well. A lot of the coaching personnel in the IPL teams now, were once integral parts of the IPL teams.
This just shows that the Indian Premier League has been there for a long time and even though players have either retired from international cricket or IPL, they still want to be involved with the cash-rich and lucrative IPL.
In this article, we take a look at 5 former cricketers who are now coaches in IPL teams:
1. Ashish Nehra
Presently the Head Coach of the Gujarat Titans (GT), Ashish Nehra has previously been part of several IPL franchises. He has played for Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Pune Warriors India (PWI).
Under his tutelage, Gujarat laid their hands on the IPL trophy in their maiden IPL season. In IPL 2018 and 2019, Ashish Nehra also served as the bowling coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
2. Shane Watson
One of the legends in the IPL, Shane Watson now serves as the assistant coach of Delhi Capitals (DC). He has previously played for teams such as Rajasthan Royals (RR), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He played his last IPL season in IPL 2020.
Watson is a legend in the IPL and has played 145 games in the world’s most popular T20 league. He has mustered 3874 runs and has taken 92 wickets.
3. Stephen Fleming
A lot of us only associate Stephen Fleming as the Head Coach of Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The former New Zealand legendary cricketer has guided CSK to 5 IPL titles and he forms a deadly duo along side MS Dhoni.
But he has also played as a player under MS Dhoni in IPL 2008. He retired in 2009 and then became the Head Coach and conjured magic.
4. David Hussey
The mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), David Hussey has previously played for KKR, CSK and Kings XI Punjab (now known as Punjab Kings).
As he could bowl as well during his playing days, he was a hot property in the IPL. In the absence of regular skipper Adam Gilchrist, Hussey also captained Punjab for a few games in IPL 2012.
5. Kieron Pollard
An undisputed monarch of IPL, Kieron Pollard hung his boots from the league in the last season. It was a watershed moment for a lot of cricket aficionados as Kieron Pollard has been an integral part of Mumbai Indians since 2010.
He is now the batting coach of Mumbai Indians but plays for MI Emirates in the Abu Dhabi T10 League and also captains the side.
Also read: 7 Cricketers Who Died Too Soon But Had An Amazing Career
