RCB removes Daniel Vettori as head coach, sacks support staff

The franchise has retained Ashish Nehra as the bowling mentor of the team and at the same time looking to rope in Sanjay Bangar to replace Vettori.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has fired head coach Daniel Vettori following the poor performance of the side. Apart from Vettori, the support staffs – including the batting and fielding coach Trent Woodhill and the bowling Andrew McDonald – have been sacked for the next season.

On the other hand, the franchise has retained Ashish Nehra as the bowling mentor of the team and at the same time looking to rope in Sanjay Bangar to replace Vettori.

Bangar, who is currently touring England with the Indian cricket team, cannot join any IPL team as the BCCI guidelines don’t allow him to do so. It will fall under the Conflict of Interest clause which forced Rahul Dravid to step down as the coach of the Delhi Daredevils (DD) after he was given the responsibility to coach the India A and U19 teams.

The franchise is also trying to get in Gary Kirsten as a second option. As per several media reports, former South Africa cricketer is also in line to replace Vettori. Kirsten had already worked as the batting consultant of RCB and his contribution in India’s World Cup 2011 victory is not an unknown fact.

However, the final decision will be taken after consulting skipper Virat Kohli.

Over the years, the RCB side has been struggling to even enter the playoffs. After losing the finals in 2016 to Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kohli’s team has witnessed a drastic downfall in season and 10 and 11.

This year, they finished at the 6th position in the points table with 12 points. The team is yet to claim their maiden title.