2 min readDec 8, 2023 06:53 PM IST
First published on: Dec 8, 2023 at 06:53 PM IST
Former India player Sanjay Bangar made his return to the Punjab Kings when the franchise appointed him as its head of cricket development for IPL 2024.
The 51-year-old who was also the Indian national team’s batting coach has had a considerable history with the Punjab-based franchise, helping them to a runners-up finish in IPL 2014 as an assistant coach.
He was also the head coach for the franchise in the next two seasons but could not replicate the 2014 success as Punjab finished at the bottom of the table in both occasions.
“It’s my privilege to be with the Punjab Kings again. We have a good core group of players as evidenced by the fact that we have the lowest number of player releases this year. The challenge is to give the squad the best support possible during and after the season to make the team stronger and deliver success,” said Bangar in a release quoted by PTI.
For the upcoming season, Bangar will work alongside the team’s head coach Trevor Bayliss as the duo will form the think tank for the IPL auction, slated to be held in Dubai on December 19.
The former all rounder was also the Royal Challengers Bangalore batting consultant before being named the team’s head coach for the next two years. Under him, RCB reached the play offs in 2 of the 3 seasons he was coach.
Last month, In perhaps one of the more surprising releases, Punjab Kings said they are releasing Shah Rukh Khan. Apart from the big-hitter from Tamil Nadu, their list of released players read Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Mohit Rathee, Baltej Dhanda, Raj Angad Bawa.
He was also the head coach for the franchise in the next two seasons but could not replicate the 2014 success as Punjab finished at the bottom of the table in both occasions. 
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