5 players who went on to coach the IPL sides they played for

Many International stars have played in the IPL during the first decade of the cash-rich tournament. A very few, who represented their franchises as a player have gone on to become the coach of the respective sides.

Let us look at some of those players who have contributed both on and off the pitch for their teams.

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Rahul Dravid (Rajasthan Royals)

Rahul Dravid joined Rajasthan Royals in 2011 from Royal Challengers Bangalore. He played for three seasons, 2011-2013, and scored 1276 runs for the Royals in 46 matches. He retired from all forms of Cricket after the 2013 Champions League T20 finals.

He became the mentor of Rajasthan Royals for the 2014 season. Royals finished fifth in the league standings and missed out the playoffs on net run-rate. His presence was a great inspiration for the youths who were in the RR squad.

The Junior cricketers had a great deal of learning from him. He believed in players like Karun Nair, Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda who repaid his faith by performing well.

The next year, Rajasthan qualified for the playoffs where they lost in the Eliminator to the RCB. Royals were suspended for the next two seasons due to the alleged fixing case of their owner.

Stephen Fleming (Chennai Super Kings)

Stephen Fleming was bought by Chennai Super Kings during the inaugural IPL auction in 2008. He played a total of ten games for them in the first season, scoring 196 runs.

Stephen Fleming

He was appointed as their coach from the second season. He guided them to knockouts in his first stint as a coach in 2009. He guided them to successive titles in 2010 and 2011. In the next four seasons, CSK reached the finals on three occasions.

He is one of the most successful coaches in the IPL. Though he did not have a lucrative career as a CSK player, he has been one their pillars of strength from the very beginning.

CSK were suspended for two years from the IPL due to the alleged involvement of their owner in the spot-fixing and betting scandal.

Daniel Vettori (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Daniel Vettori played for Delhi Daredevils for the first three seasons. He joined Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011. He played 22 matches for RCB and grabbed 17 wickets. He was appointed as their coach in 2014.

Daniel Vettori

RCB finished a low seventh in that season. He guided them to a third-place finish in the 2015 IPL. They lost to the CSK in the Qualifier-2 and got eliminated.

RCB reached their third finals but eventually lost to Kolkata Knight Riders. In the tenth edition, RCB finished at the bottom of the table with just three wins out of their 14 league games.

Ricky Ponting (Mumbai Indians)

Ricky Ponting played for KKR in the inaugural before joining the Mumbai Indians in 2013. He played a total of six matches for them in that season, scoring 52 runs. The next year he was appointed as the coach of Mumbai Indians.

He guided them to the playoffs where they lost in the Eliminator against the CSK. In 2015, Mumbai Indians won the title defeating Chennai Super Kings in the finals at the Eden Gardens.

Ponting added one more trophy to his remarkable career, but this time as a coach. In 2016, Mumbai finished fifth and missed out the knockout spot.

Shane Warne (Rajasthan Royals)

Shane Warne was bought by Rajasthan Royals during the 2008 auctions. He played four seasons for RR. He was their captain-cum-coach from 2008-2011. He led them to the title in the inaugural IPL season in 2008. He retired after the 2011 IPL and took to full-time coaching.

In the next four seasons their they failed to reach the playoffs finishing outside the top- four. He believed in players like Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan and Shane Watson and supported them well.

He marshalled his players first-rate in the inaugural season and surprised everyone by winning the title.