IPL 2022: Gary Kirsten, Ashish Nehra approached for coaching roles by Lucknow franchise

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to welcome two new teams in the tournament from its next edition. The Sanjay Goenka-led RPSG group made the highest bid of INR 7,090 crore for the Lucknow franchise. It has now been reported that the firm has contacted Gary Kirsten and Ashish Nehra to join the franchise’s coaching staff in the IPL.

Both Nehra and Kirsten have been part of the Indian side that lifted the 2011 ODI World Cup. India’s former left-arm fast bowler and the former Proteas batter have a plethora of experience under their sleeves and can prove crucial in guiding the team for the IPL. Though there are no clear specifications yet, the duo is expected to have been approached for the roles of the head coach and the consultant.

The participation process of the Lucknow franchise in the upcoming IPL has been smooth so far

There is no final decision taken about the coaching staff yet and as per Cricbuzz, the parties are bound by a confidentiality clause and thus are unable to open up any further on the same. It is to be noted that the RPSG group had previously participated in the IPL in the years 2016 and 2017.

They owned the Rising Pune Super Giants that was initially captained by MS Dhoni. For the participation of the Lucknow franchise in the high-profile tournament, the BCCI and the RPSG group are continuously in talks. The group has also received the letter of intent from the board and things have been progressing smoothly for them so far.

About the upcoming edition of the IPL, the retention policies for the teams have already been revealed. As per the policy, the eight existing franchises are allowed to retain a maximum of four players. The teams will have a purse of approximately INR 90 crores. This amount is INR 5 crores more than the franchises had in the IPL 2021 auction.

The teams are allowed to retain either three Indians and one overseas player or two Indians and as many overseas players. Moreover, the franchises will not have the right to match cards for this auction. The two new teams will be allowed to pick two Indian players and one overseas at the beginning. The specification on whether it will be from the entire auction pool or from the players not retained from the franchises is yet to be confirmed.