An off-season ahead of the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the transitions in coaching staff and changes in the personnel have already begun. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were the first ones to pull the plug by getting Justin Langer involved as the head coach for the first time in IPL history with their former head coach Andy Flower moving to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). RCB surprisingly didn't renew the contracts of any of Mike Hesson or Sanjay Bangar and similarly, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have also let go of Brian Lara, after finishing at the bottom of the points table in IPL 2023.
SRH became the third team to announce a new head coach as they have roped in former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori as the head coach of the franchise ahead of the 2024 edition of the IPL. Vettori, who is currently the head coach of the Birmingham Phoenix side in the Hundred and was part of the backroom staff for the Australian cricket team as the assistant coach will return to the cash-rich league after a gap of six years.
The 44-year-old, who has been globetrotting coaching the sides in the Big Bash League, T20 Blast, Caribbean Premier League and the Hundred will be in charge of an IPL team only for the second time. Vettori was at the helm of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for five years from 2014 to 2018 before. RCB saw the highest of highs and lowest of the lows in his stint.
Vettori, who had led RCB to their second final as captain in IPL 2011, was the head coach of the franchise for the first time in 2014 and the team finished in 7th position with 5 wins and nine losses. In the very next year, RCB qualified for the playoffs finishing in third position on the points table. RCB defeated Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator but couldn't get through to the final as they lost to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the second qualifier.
2016 was the best year for RCB under Vettori as captain Virat Kohli led from the front with the best-ever season in the IPL for a batter with 973 runs. RCB finished in the top two and qualified for the final before suffering a heartbreaking loss in the final to the Sunrisers Hyderabad by just 8 runs.
RCB underperformed in the last two seasons with Vettori as coach finishing 8th (bottom) in 2017 and 6th place in 2018 with three and six wins respectively before the Kiwi all-rounder was removed from the role. With the new franchise, after such a long gap, Vettori will be eager to turn around SRH's fortunes from the next year onwards.
