Phil Simmons appointed Karachi Kings head coach

Ahead of the latest season of the PSL (Pakistan Super League), Karachi Kings have announced the appointment of former West Indies cricketer Phil Simmons as the side’s head coach. Simmons takes over from former South Africa all-rounder Johan Botha, who coached the side in 2023 when they finished in second-to-last place in the standings.

Simmons will come into the franchise on the back of extensive coaching experience. Leading the West Indies in multiple stints, the 60-year-old is currently the coach of Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and LA Knight Riders in Major League Cricket (MLC).

It is worth noting that Simmons played 169 matches for the West Indies across formats in his career, where the batting all-rounder amassed 4677 runs to his name and 87 wickets as well. He also played a game in Karachi during the 1987 World Cup and opined that he looked forward to returning to the city as the head coach of Karachi Kings. 

"Returning to Karachi, a city I hold dear from my playing days, feels like a homecoming, I am thrilled to join forces with Haider Azhar and the rest of the team's think tank, drawing from the rich cricketing heritage of this country,” Phil Simmons was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"I am thankful to team owner Salman Iqbal, CEO Tariq Wasi, and Karachi Kings management for this opportunity. We are eager to move ahead with our rebuilding and restart process of Karachi Kings and establish this franchise as a match-winning unit,” he added.

It is also worth noting that while Karachi Kings have won one PSL title in 2020, the side has struggled to get their footing in recent seasons; they even failed to make it to the knockout stages of the tournament in 2022 and 2023, and the franchise would hope that the same would change under Simmons’ leadership.

With the player draft for the tournament right around the corner, Simmons will look to get to work as soon as possible. With the likes of Shoaib Malik, Tabraiz Shamsi, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Akhlaq, and Shan Masood on their side, the Kings will hope for some new additions to bolster their side further as well.