It has been reported that the Punjab franchise is not willing to renew the contract of the current coach Anil Kumble, which ends in September. Reports also added that the Punjab franchise has approached the former England captain Eoin Morgan and World Cup-winning coach Trevor Bayliss for the head coach’s role.
Anil Kumble has been associated with the Punjab team for the last three years but has not been able to guide the team to the playoffs even once. Last year, Punjab assembled a power-packed side and bought into the philosophy of an aggressive brand of cricket. But unfortunately, they succumbed to the crucial junctures of the tournament.
Anil Kumble’s record as Punjab team head coach
| Years | Wins | Losses | NR | Total | Win % |
| 2020 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 42.85% |
| 2021 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 42.85% |
| 2022 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 50.00% |
With more than six months left for the Indian T20 League 2023 to start, Punjab seems to have begun its search for a new head coach. The potential candidates are believed to be Trevor Bayliss, Eoin Morgan, and one former India coach. It has also been speculated that one of the above three contenders will put on the coach’s hat in a week’s time.
Trevor Bayliss has quite a thick resume when it comes to coaching. He has a good amount of experience coaching in the Indian T20 League. He has been associated with the Kolkata-based franchise and the Hyderabad franchise in the past. During his stint with Kolkata, the team won two titles in the year 2012 and 2014 with Gautam Gambhir at the helm. To add to that Bayliss was also the coach of the England team that won the 50-over World Cup in 2019.
Eoin Morgan’s name comes as a big surprise as he has just retired from international cricket and is still an active cricketer. Moreover, he has no coaching experience. The Irish-born cricketer is considered one of the top leaders the limited overs cricket has witnessed. He was instrumental in England’s limited overs cricket revival and led his side to the 2019 World Cup win. The southpaw has also captained the Kolkata franchise and guided the team to the finals of the Indian T20 League in 2021.
The Punjab franchise has not reached the playoffs in the Indian T20 League since 2014. It will be interesting to see who is finally been given the responsibility for the head coach’s role from next year. As per the reports, they are well set to become the second team to have a new head coach in the Indian T20 League 2023.
