Reports: Punjab Kings not to renew Anil Kumble's contract as head coach

Punjab Kings head coach Anil Kumble will not continue in his role for the IPL franchise as per the latest reports and a new head coach is set to be appointed. Recently, the Kolkata Knight Riders named Chandrakant Pandit as their new head coach after Brendon McCullum vacated the position to join the England Test team as head coach.

Punjab Kings are among the few franchises yet to keep their hands on the prestigious IPL trophy since the inaugural edition and their change in name from Kings XI Punjab hasn’t changed their fortunes yet. In fact, the franchise hasn’t made the playoffs of IPL since the 2014 edition where they reached the finals and ended as runners-up.

Eoin Morgan, Trevor Bayliss approached for the head coach role

According to the sources, the franchise will not renew Kumble’s three-year contract which ends next month and the likes of Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss have been approached for replacing him. The source also added about an Indian coach being approached while the name wasn’t disclosed. The franchise is set to confirm the new appointment in a week’s time.

“The Mohali team has apparently decided not to renew Anil Kumble’s three-year contract, which ends this September. They are already in search of candidates. It is learnt that their representatives have approached the likes of Eoin Morgan, Trevor Bayliss and one former India coach. Eventually one of them or none of them may get the posting. A Punjab Kings official said they will decide in a week’s time,” according to Cricbuzz sources.

Under Kumble’s tenure as the head coach, Punjab won 19 out of the 42 games they have played. Despite picking up a strong squad this year boasting the likes of Liam Livingstone, Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow and Kagiso Rabada, the franchise ended at the sixth position with seven wins in 14 games. Notably, KL Rahul had opted himself out of retention by the Punjab franchise ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction and that raised many eyebrows over the atmosphere in the camp.