“I submitted my resignation in the last week of November”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Sanjay Bangar has revealed that he stepped down as head coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, the Kings XI Punjab.
Bangar, who is India’s batting coach, revealed that he submitted his resignation in November, but waited till now to make the announcement since he was, until recently, involved in the five-Test series between India and England.
“I submitted my resignation in the last week of November. They [the franchise] came back to me around the second week of December,” Bangar told ESPNcricinfo. “I was totally engrossed in the [England] series and that is the reason why I sort of waited till the end of the series.”
Bangar was initially appointed as an assistant coach in 2014, but was promoted to head coach, which had immediate results as the Kings XI reached the final of the 2014 IPL.
In the next two years though, things were a lot more dreary as the team finished at the bottom of the standings.
It is understood that misunderstandings with one of the franchise’s co-owners played some part in Bangar’s decision to resign, but he did not elaborate on whether it was true.
“It is a professional set-up. The IPL is a model which is run on producing results,” he was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times. “In the course of the tournament, there are debates and deliberations. You take certain decisions and there are some which are right and there are some which don’t go your way. It is all a part and parcel. We as professionals need to accept this thing. (For the last) two seasons we didn’t get the results we wanted. It was time to move on and let fresh ideas come in.”
Nonetheless, Bangar admitted that his tenure as head coach of the Kings XI has been a “huge help” in regards to his current position as batting coach of the national team.
“You don’t have much time to work on the players during the IPL,” he said. “It is about man-management of players of various international credentials, managing young players and finding the right balance.
“It is a very profit-driven model where cost has to be managed, the dynamics of the auction need to be understood and manage a large group of players in a short time. Those are the valuable lessons I have learnt.
“It’s been a fabulous journey. It gives me immense satisfaction to see the players whom I picked – from when they were in their formative years – to benefit from the exposure.
“There are a number of players who were able to showcase their talent like Manan Vohra, Sandeep Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, who weren’t getting the opportunities. Axar Patel, who was last IPL’s best young cricketer, went on to play for India. Their progress gives me immense pride. We topped the league and reaching the final was the best part of my time with Kings XI.”
When asked if he would consider taking up another coaching role in the IPL, Bangar said: “I am not in talks with any other franchise as of now. I will weigh my options.”