Sanjay Bangar, ex-India all-rounder, has been appointed by Punjab Kings (PBKS) as the head of cricket development ahead of IPL 2024. With him having worked as the team's head coach between 2014 and 2016, this confirms Bangar's second term with the Mohali-based IPL franchise.
"It's my privilege to be with the Punjab Kings again," Bangar said as quoted in an official release.
"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," he added.
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The appointment confirms that Bangar will work alongside a coaching staff helmedby Trevor Bayliss who is the head coach of the side. There will hardly be any time for Bangar to settle in and he needs to do his homework before being part of the think tank that will try and gather the best resources for the side at the IPL Auction in Dubai on December 19.
It is pertinent to noe that Bangar's most recent association with an IPL franchise came with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He was the batting consultant of the team in 2021 and then became the head coach for the subsequent two seasons where he formed a working relationship with Mike Hesson, the team's Director of Cricket. During Bangar's term with RCB, the side featuring Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis made it to two Playoffs in three seasons.
Punjab Kings Retained Players
Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh
Punjab Kings Released Players
Mohit Rathee, Raj Bawa, Shahrukh Khan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Baltej Singh