IPL 2023: Trevor Bayliss has been appointed as the head coach of Punjab Kings. This devlopment comes in after Anil Kumble was ousted by the franchise after their dismal show in previous two seasons of the Indian Premier League. Bayliss is an Australian cricket coach and former first class cricketer. He played for New South Wales between 1985 and 1997 before becoming a coach. Speculations were rife about Kumble's exit from the Punjab King's setup but Bayliss's appointment has come as a surprise.
There were murmurs in certain sections of the cricketing community that ex-English captain Eoin Morgan might take up the role of head coach for Punjab Kings but with time they just proved to be smoke without fire. The Preity Zinta-owned and Mayank Agarwal-led franchise on Friday announced the appointment of Bayliss as their new head coach. The Australian will take charge of the team in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. Surprisingly, with Eoin Morgan in contention for the role, nobody saw this decision coming. When Eoin Morgan lifted the World Cup in 2019, Bayliss was the coach of the English cricket team. The former New South Wales player comes in with loads of experience under his belt as has the reputation of winning 1 World Cup, 2 IPL titles, and 1 Big Bash League (BBL) title with Sydney Sixers.
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Trevor Bayliss in a statement released by Punjab Kings after his appointment said
I'm honored to be given the Head Coach's role with the Punjab Kings. A foundation franchise with an appetite for success. I look forward to working with a talented squad of players determined to compete for silverware
Bayliss has been appointed after the franchise ousted India great Anil Kumble, in whose three-year term Punjab Kings failed to qualify for the playoffs. Punjab Kings to date has qualified only for one final, that too in 2014 when they lost to Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders. The Preity Zinta-owned team finished sixth in the last four seasons.
