IPL 2020: RCB names the support staff for the upcoming season

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is one of the very few teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that are yet to get their hands on the coveted trophy. The franchise, presently led by Virat Kohli, has qualified for the Final a couple of times, but couldn’t go the distance. Last time around, the Challengers finished at the bottom of the points table, having won only five matches.

Kohli has come under fire on a number of times due to the team’s lacklustre run in the tournament. Quite a few seasons ago, he replaced Daniel Vettori as the captain, but he hasn’t been able to change the team’s fortunes. In the meantime, it has been learned that the Challengers have announced the entire support staff for the upcoming edition of the popular T20 League.

Previously, RCB let go head coach Gary Kirsten and bowling coach Ashish Nehra. Simon Katich, who was with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), replaced Kirsten as the head coach. In KKR, he was an assistant coach along with Jacques Kallis, who also left the franchise this year. As per a report in The Times of India (TOI), Adam Griffith has replaced Nehra in the coaching setup.

After Team India, Shankar Basu to work with Virat Kohli in RCB

Mike Hesson, the former New Zealand head coach, was also roped in as RCB’s Director of Cricket Operations. Hesson was one of the strong contenders for India’s head coach, but he missed out to Ravi Shastri. The Challengers have also brought in Sridharan Sriram as the batting and spin-bowling coach. Sriram worked for quite a few years with the Australian teams.

Shankar Basu bid adieu to Team India as their strength and conditioning coach, However, he has now found the same role in the RCB setup and will again be working alongside Kohli. Evan Speechly, Sports Mechanics, Malolan Rangarajan, Major Soumyadeep Pyne are the Team Physio, Analytics, Head of Scouting and Team Manager respectively.

Here is the list of RCB’s support staff

Mike Hesson- Director of Cricket Operations

Simon Katich- Head Coach

Adam Griffith- Bowling Coach

Sridharan Sriram- Batting and Spin-bowling Coach

Shankar Basu- Strength and Conditioning Coach

Evan Speechly- Team Physio

Sports Mechanics- Analytics

Malolan Rangarajan- Head of Scouting

Major Soumyadeep Pyne- Team Manager

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