5 IPL Coaches who you may not know also played for a franchise

Over the years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has evolved as a platform for several players to nurture their abilities. It has spotted some amazing talents from India as well as the international circuit. In addition to putting forth some talented players, the lucrative tournament has also produced some prominent coaches in the cricket fraternity ever since the IPL’s inception in 2008. 

Similar to any other aspect, the cash-rich league doesn’t compromise on appointing adept mentors for their side. From the very first season till the most recent tournament, some lesser-known names in the coaching world have showcased immense potential. Through the T20 league, these candidates have also adopted a coaching role for their national side post their successful outing as a coach in franchise cricket. 

Some experienced campaigners took a coaching role with the franchise whereas there existed a few who became the mentor for a side after featuring in just a handful of matches.

Here are few players from previous seasons who assumed coaching roles but may not be remembered for their playing stints in the IPL franchise:-

Sanjay Bangar

Sanjay Bangar’s stocks as an all-rounder were sky high in domestic cricket after he became one of the two all-rounders to amass 6,000 runs and pick 200 wickets in Ranji Trophy. Bangar became a talisman for the Indian team, who didn’t lose in 10 out of the 12 Tests he featured in.

The all-rounder played for Deccan Chargers in 11 matches in the 2008 edition of the IPL. In the subsequent season, he went to Kolkata Knight Riders but couldn’t get more than one game. His average batting in two seasons of 7.00 got nowhere close to a competitive one while his bowling average was a woeful 54.75.

Under the 47-year old as a coach, Kings XI Punjab reached the final of the tournament in 2014 which remains their best result in the overall competition till date. He also had a stint with the national side for five years as a batting coach which underwent a successful period in both Test and One-day cricket.

Darren Lehmann

It indeed comes as a surprise to see Darren Lehmann on this list. The left-hand batsman from South Australia didn’t play any T20 internationals for Australia and featured in only a handful of T20s before playing in one of the most competitive tournaments. With a strike rate of just under 120, Lehmann was not the most ideal T20 batsman.

Lehmann was mainly called up to the Rajasthan Royals’ squad as a cover for Graeme Smith until Smith’s return. As initially confirmed for two games, the Australian featured in only those many games itself in the overall tournament, scoring 18 runs. After Deccan Chargers’ disastrous outing in the first season, Lehmann took over as the coach of the team and led them to the title in 2009.

He remained their coach for the next three seasons before doing the same job for Kings XI Punjab in 2013. He mentored them for one season after which he was appointed as the head coach of the Australian team until 2018. The 49-year old returned to the role, having been named as the coach for Brisbane Heat and Leeds-based team in The Hundred.

Stephen Fleming

Stephen Fleming finished his career as New Zealand’s most successful captain and one of the country’s most prolific run-scorers. Fleming came into the frame after Matthew Hayden’s departure from the tournament midway. However, Chennai Super Kings’ top order suffered in the absence of Hayden.

The former Black Caps skipper did play some cameos; however, his inconsistency in the format put pressure on their middle-order batsmen. He played ten matches in 2008 and scored 145 runs at an average of 21.78. Since then, he has been coaching the Chennai Super Kings.

He is one of the successful coaches in the overall tournament, having led the yellow army to three IPL titles and playoffs in every season.

Andrew McDonald

Andrew McDonald wasn’t the most star-studded all-rounder of his time; however, his dibbly-dobbly bowling and variations curbed the run-flow. Despite potential and strong domestic performances, the Victorian couldn’t play more than four consecutive Test matches for Australia. The 38-year old played for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 IPL before Royal Challengers Bangalore roped him in 2013.

Nevertheless, McDonald couldn’t feature in more than four games in one season. In total, the Victorian all-rounder has scored 123 runs in five seasons and picked up 11 wickets. Amid all this, his coaching resume speaks highly of him. McDonald’s first major coaching assignment was at English county side Leicestershire.

He was also the bowling coach of the Bangalore-based franchise before guiding Victoria to a victory in their Sheffield Shield campaign in the 2016-17 season.  Most recently, the Australian catapulted Melbourne Renegades to their maiden title in the Big Bash League season of 2018-19. In October 2019, McDonald was appointed as the deputy to Australia’s head coach, Justin Langer.

Brad Haddin

Brad Haddin was a late bloomer in the Australian setup. Despite healthy potential, Haddin couldn’t make his Test debut for the national side until the age of 30. When he succeeded Adam Gilchrist as Australia’s preferred gloveman in red-ball cricket, he mostly kept his position until retirement. Haddin also served as a deputy to Michael Clarke in his reign as Australian captain.

Not many may remember that the 42-year old was a part of Kolkata Knight Riders, featuring in only one game in 2011. He opened the innings along with Jacques Kallis against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He scored a quickfire 18 off 11 deliveries before getting dismissed in the fifth over.

A veteran of 66 Tests and 126 ODIs, the New South Wales lad was appointed as Australia’s fielding coach in 2017. Haddin joined head coach Trevor Bayliss as the assistant coach for Sunrisers Hyderabad for the upcoming season of the IPL.