IPL 2024: Sanjay Bangar returns to Punjab Kings as head of cricket development

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar is appointed as Head of Cricket Developement for the upcoming India Premier League season 2024 on Friday.

Chandigarh:Indian Premier League franchise Punjab Kings on Friday announced the appointment of former India batter Sanjay Bangar as the Head of Cricket Development.

Sanjay Bangar, a domestic stalwart, had previously served as the Head Coach of another Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore.

He has returned to Punjab Kings as the Head of Cricket Development, the franchise announced through a media statement posted on its official X, formerly known as Twitter handle.

Sanjay had joined Punjab Kings in 2014 as an Assistant Coach and quickly moved up to the Head Coach role in the same season. Under his guidance, Punjab Kings reached the first-ever final in the IPL that year. After that Bangar contributed as India's batting coach for five years, overseeing their historic Test series win in Australia in 2018-19. He also coached Royal Challengers Bangalore for the last three seasons.

"It’s my privilege to be with the Punjab Kings again. We have a good core 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," Bangar was quoted as saying in the statement.

Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon added, “Sanjay is an experienced coach and has great credentials. Over the season and beyond, we will leverage his ability to build relationships across the squad.”

The Punjab Kings have never won the coveted IPL Trophy. The IPL 2024 auction will be held in Dubai on December 19, 2023.