Virender Sehwag leaves Kings XI Punjab

Virender Sehwag announced that his five-year association with Kings XI Punjab will come to an end ahead of the 12th edition of the IPL. The former Indian opener, who was a mentor for the IPL side in the last three years, announced the decision on Twitter.

All good things must come to an end and I've had a wonderful time at Kings 11 Punjab, for 2 seasons as a player and 3 as a mentor. My association with Kings 11 comes to an end and I am thankful for the time I have had here and wish the team all the very best for the times ahead.

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) November 3, 2018

In the 2014 edition of the IPL, Sehwag became a KXIP player and represented the franchise in that season and the following one, playing 25 matches and scoring 554 runs. He also scored a century against Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2014 Qualifier 2, which helped them reach their maiden IPL final, which they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders.

After that, he continued his association with the team, first as a mentor in 2016 before becoming the director of cricket operations in the following year. His stint didn't go as well as it did as a player as KXIP finished eighth in the 2016 edition. Although they almost made the playoffs in 2017, they ended up finishing fifth.

Earlier this year, they got off to a brilliant start, winning five out of their first seven games but won just one of their next seven and finished seventh. Sehwag's decision to end his association with KXIP is another change in the side's backroom staff ahead of IPL 2019.

Former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson replaced Brad Hodge as the head coach ahead of the upcoming edition of the IPL. Hesson stepped down from his role as coach of the Black Caps after six years, citing the need for a break. He joined his compatriots Daniel Vettori and Stephen Fleming as a coach in the IPL, despite never being a coach in franchise cricket before.

With Sehwag now gone, the onus will firmly be on Hesson as he looks to bring KXIP their maiden IPL title.