Jacques Kallis takes over as KKR head coach for IPL 9

Jacques Kallis takes over as KKR head coach for IPL 9: Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday roped in former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis as their head coach for IPL 9. Kallis will take over from Trevor Bayliss who is now coach of the England national team. Bayliss was associated with KKR for the last four years.

It will be an escalation of role for Kallis, who has been a part of the KKR team as a player since 2011 and opted to be the mentor and batting consultant of the team last year. He played a crucial role in the rise of the KKR team, which has won the IPL trophy twice now in 2012 and 2014.

Speaking about his new role to the Press Trust of India, Jacques Kallis said, “KKR is my family in India and the association since 2011 has been one of the most enjoyable experiences for me. I look forward to the new challenge and feel honoured to be part of the KKR family”

Venky Mysore, the CEO & MD of Kolkata Knight Riders said, “We couldn’t be happier that Jacques agreed to take on the role as head coach, making this transition seamless. The respect and regard he commands in the dressing room as well as his fondness for KKR made him our ideal choice.”

Kallis who retired from international cricket in 2014 is a legend and has scored 10,000 plus runs in both ODIs and Tests and has also taken 273 and 292 wickets respectively.