IPL 2026: According to reports, Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of India, spoke with Sairaj Bahutule and persuaded him to join his coaching team following the end of the current IPL 2026 season. Bahutule is now the Punjab Kings’ spin-bowling coach. This will be a major decision when it comes to the Team India coaching setup. Bahutule will join Gambhir’s coaching setup as the spin-bowling while Morne Morkel serves as the bowling coach currently. It is expected that the former South African pacer will turn his focus to a more fast-bowling-specific job. Turning his title from bowling coach to fast bowling coach.
Sairaj Bahutule to join Gautam Gambhir’s setup
Several sources state that Sairaj Bahutule, a former leg-spinner for Mumbai and India, will become the spin-bowling coach for the Indian men’s squad. After the current IPL 2026 season, Bahutule, who is now the Punjab Kings’ spin-bowling coach, will leave the team. “Yes, Bahutule is set to join Team India as its spin-bowling coach for the next two years. There was a need for an experienced spin-bowling coach to guide India’s spinners, and consequently, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir and the BCCI’s top officials approached Bahutule,” a source in the BCCI confirmed to Times of India on Friday.
Sairaj Bahutule coaching career
It won’t be Bahutule’s first time playing for the Indian national team if he joins the coaching staff. Prior to the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the trip of Sri Lanka, he was a member of the Rahul Dravid-led support team. Additionally, he has previously been connected to the Centre of Excellence of the BCCI. Having previously worked with the Rajasthan Royals, he joined Ricky Ponting’s Punjab Kings backroom team prior to the current season.
Who is Sairaj Bahutule?
Sairaj Bahutule is a former leg-spinner who played for India in tests and ODIs. The 53-year-old’s international career did not turn out to be fruitful. In two tests, Bahutule picked up three wickets. In ODIs, he managed to take only a couple of wickets in seven innings. However, it was at the domestic level where Bahutule ruled the roost. In 188 first-class matches, he picked up 630 wickets, averaging a meagre 26.00. He was one of those cricketers who, despite being a top performer at the domestic level, could not crack the international level. With the bat in hand, he scored 6,176 runs in first-class cricket, which included nine centuries and 26 fifties. He took 197 wickets in List A games and recorded 10 scalps in T20s. Bahutule remained a prominent bowling all-rounder at the domestic level.
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