Mumbai: Kolkata Knight Riders’ coaches and mentors have interestingly been sought after by international cricket boards. There are some facts, however, that are accurate.
Trevor Bayliss won KKR two IPL titles, in 2012 and 2014, and was negotiating for an extension when England and Wales Cricket Board’s Director of Cricket Andrew Strauss approached him with an offer. Initially, the Australian said no, but it is believed that Strauss made a second approach, this time with an offer Bayliss could not refuse. Matthew Mott, once an assistant coach of the Knight Riders, was appointed head coach of the white-ball side by the ECB. Mott will be with Jos Buttler’s team during their title defence at the upcoming T20 World Cup. The ECB enticed coach Brendon McCullum to take up the role of head coach of its red-ball team in 2022.
And now comes the Gautam Gambhir saga. The former India cricketer, who mentored KKR’s third title triumph this week, is considered a frontrunner to the post that is expected to be vacated by Rahul Dravid at the end of next month’s World Cup.
