Royal Challengers Bangalore has named Sanjay Bangar as their new head coach for the next season for the Indian Premier League 2022.
Bangar will take over the coaching onus from Mike Hesson, who will return to his role of Director of Cricket Operations for the franchise.
Hesson was simultaneously serving as the head coach and Director of Cricket Operations for RCB in the UAE leg of IPL 2021 as Simon Katich had pulled out of the second phase of the tournament. Sanjay Bangar, on the other hand, was serving as the batting mentor for the team.
Meanwhile, Bangar has all the coaching experience under his belt and has worked for different franchises in the IPL. Bangar had served as the batting coach of Kochi Tuskers in IPL 2010 and also served as the assistant coach of Kings XI Punjab. In fact, he also took over the head coach role from Darren Lehmann in IPL 2014 for KXIP and led the team to the final of the tournament.
Moreover, Bangar has worked for the Indian team as the batting coach and assistant coach. He was also the chief coach for the tour of Zimbabwe in 2016.
Prathmesh Mishra, Chairman, Royal Challengers Bangalore, said: “RCB has been committed to its philosophy of supporting and grooming talents from within the team and appointing Sanjay Bangar is the reflection of that belief. Sanjay Bangar has been part of our support staff as a batting consultant and brings a wealth of experience, both as a player and batting coach, having worked extensively with the Indian cricket team. Sanjay has been chosen to be the head coach following a rigorous and robust selection procedure. We are confident that he will be able to bring his experience to the fore and maximize the potential of the squad. I congratulate Sanjay on this appointment and wish him all the best as we embark on this new chapter.”
Meanwhile, Bangar noted: “It’s an honor and great opportunity to serve such a great franchise in the capacity of Head Coach. I have worked with some exceptional and talented members in the squad and can’t wait to take this team to the next level. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done with the IPL Mega Auctions and the season following it, but I’m sure that together with the continued support of the management and the support staff, we can deliver the goods and bring cheer to our fans across the globe.”
RCB will also appoint a new captain for the next season as Virat Kohli has relinquished his leadership duties. Meanwhile, RCB had qualified for the playoff stages in IPL 2021 but they were knocked out by Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator contest.
