An IPL coach is essential for success of every team, and all ten teams competing in the 2023 season have been able to assemble experienced backroom staff rosters. As a result, several former players have transitioned from playing to coaching, establishing themselves as familiar faces within their respective franchises. For example, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have succeeded with Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, respectively. Unfortunately, not everyone has been able to replicate this as a player and what they could do as a coach.
Here we look at 3 IPL coaches who disappointed as a player in the league:
3) Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer, batting coach for the Punjab Kings (PBKS), has much to bring to the next generation. The experienced opening batsman boasts an impressive domestic career and has many memorable moments on the international stage. Unfortunately, when it comes to the IPL and T20 format in general, Jaffer’s career was quite limited. He played eight matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), scoring 130 runs with an average of 16.25 and a strike rate of 107.44 and crossing the 50-run mark once. After two years in the IPL, Jaffer stepped away from the game and has taken on several coaching roles since then.
2) Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming has been the longest-serving head IPL coach of the IPL’s Chennai Super Kings, steering them through both periods of great highs and some recent lows. In the first season of the IPL, he even played 10 matches for CSK, making 196 runs at an average of 21.78 and a strike rate of 118.79. Unfortunately, his performance did not stand out amongst other overseas batters, as he failed to make any half-centuries and also cleared the boundary only thrice.
1) Ricky Ponting
Delhi Capitals’ head IPL coach and one of the greatest batters of all time, Ricky Ponting, had a tough time as an IPL player. Over the course of 10 matches, he only scored 91 runs at an average of 10.11 and a strike rate of 71.09, never once reaching the 30-run mark and getting three ducks. He also captained his franchise in six matches, where they ended up on the winning side thrice, leading one to wonder what would’ve been if the timeline was different – possibly making him an IPL legend.
