RCB's former Director of Cricket Mike Hesson joins Islamabad United as head coach

Mike Hesson, the former director of cricket at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has already parted ways with the franchise. Notably, Hesson has been appointed as the head coach for Islamabad United, a two-time winner franchise in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). It is important to note that Azhar Mahmood had served in the position before the newly announced Hesson.

Hesson saw himself serving RCB for four years. However, earlier in August, he was removed from the position.

Prior to this, the 49-year-old also had an experience of providing his coaching services to international teams like Kenya and New Zealand. He then joined RCB as the director of cricket operations right before the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League. During his four-year stint with the Bengaluru-based franchise, the side didn't see much success, as its trophy drought, ever since the inception of the cash-rich league, continued.

Speaking on the occasion of joining Islamabad United, Hesson came forward to opine his regards. He said that he is delighted to be a part of the PSL franchise. “The professional, modern, and dimagh se (mindful) approach associated with the franchise resonates strongly with me. I am also impressed with United's strategy built around the principle of 4 Es - Excellence, Empowerment, Education and Environment. I look forward to working with the talented players and staff to build a successful team and deliver exciting cricket to the fans,” Hesson was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

“Mike is very strategic and analytical on his approach, has proven skills of creating new and modern ways of playing - something his NZ stint demonstrates - and is a great people-manager,” Islamabad United owner Ali Naqvi said on onboarding Hesson as the head coach for the Islamabad-based franchise.

It is worth mentioning that the 2024 edition of Pakistan's premier T20 tournament is scheduled to commence two months into the year, and will last for roughly six weeks.