Anil Kumble appointed new Kings XI Punjab head coach

Kings XI Punjab have appointed Indian legend Anil Kumble as their new head coach for the 2020 season of the IPL. Kumble will replace the recently departed Mike Hesson at the helm of the Mohali-based franchise. Hesson eventually ended up joining Royal Challengers Bangalore, leaving half-way through his two-year tenure.

Kumble has previously coached the Indian cricket team from 2016 to 2017. He left under controversial circumstances after some disagreements with skipper Virat Kohli. Prior to his stint with the Indian team, Kumble also served as a mentor for the Mumbai Indians. Punjab will hope that Kumble’s appointment will turnaround the fortunes of the franchise, who have often ended up underperforming in the tournament. Under Ravichandran Ashwin’s leadership, Punjab finished the 2019 edition of the IPL in the sixth position on the table.

On his appointment, Kumble said in a press release:

“It is a great challenge for me and an opportunity to get involved in the IPL again. I look forward to working with the owners and the players, and hope to make a significant contribution with the team.”

Apart from Kumble KXIP also put in place the remainder of the coaching staff. Sunil Joshi will be the new assistant coach, George Bailey the batting coach, Jonty Rhodes is the new fielding coach and Courtney Walsh will become the new bowling coach.