5 Players who went on to coach their own franchise in the IPL

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the biggest carnivals in cricket. In the last 12 editions of the tournament, the tournament has provided an excellent platform for many cricketers – not just Indian but overseas as well. Many cricketers – young players and some of the legends of the game, have taken part in the league.

While quite a few youngsters have gone on to play for their respective national teams, some legends of the game continued to be associated with the league in various roles. Out of them, a few players also coached their own franchises in the tournament making it a unique coach-player combo for their own teams. Here is a look at some of the players who coached their own franchise:

Stephen Fleming

The first player that comes to the mind when you come across this topic is none other than Stephen Fleming. He played 10 games for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first two editions of the tournament. In the 2009 edition, he retired as a player and was named as the coach. Since then, CSK didn’t have to look back with the Dhoni-Fleming combination working wonders. Chennai won three IPL titles with Fleming at the helm as the head coach.

Ricky Ponting

Ponting led and played for the Mumbai Indians after being associated with Kolkata Knight Riders. Even though he didn’t have a great time as a player, the franchise appointed him as the Head Coach. Under his guidance, Mumbai won the title in 2015 but couldn’t replicate the heroics in 2016. He was then replaced by Mahela Jayawardene and is now handling the Delhi Capitals.

James Hopes

Hopes is a former skipper of the Delhi Daredevils (now, Delhi Capitals). In the 2011 season, the Australian led the franchise in three games. He then went on to play for a couple of other franchises. Even though the Delhi franchise lost all the games under his leadership, the management seemed to have found something interesting in him. Thus, he was appointed as the bowling coach in the 2018 season. He continues to be a part of the set-up.

Brendon McCullum

In the purple and gold of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Brendon McCullum played a knock in the opening game of the IPL that would remain etched in the minds of the fans forever. Later, he went on to play for various different franchises. But the former New Zealand skipper is now back to where he started. He was named the head coach of KKR ahead of the 2020 tournament.

Daniel Vettori

Daniel Vettori is another cricketer who turned from a captain into a coach. The former New Zealand skipper led the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL for quite some time. Following several injuries, lack of form and poor results, he was replaced by Virat Kohli as the captain. However, RCB roped him in as the Head Coach and he held that position until 2018.