Jacques Kallis appointed head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders

Kallis, who was drafted into the coaching staff in December, has now been given the full reigns of the Kolkata franchise

Former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has been named as the new head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders, ESPNCricinfo reports. The 40-year-old will be replacing Trevor Bayliss, who was appointed the head coach of England earlier this year.

Kallis, who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the initial three editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has been a part of Kolkata Knight Riders since 2011 when he was brought in as a player at a fee of $US 1.1 million.

The South African played an important role in the resurgence of KKR with two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, during which he was their top scorer in the 2012 season, besides finishing runners-up in the 2014 Champions League Twenty20 edition.

However, after failing to find his feet in the previous campaign of the IPL, Kallis was drafted into the coaching staff in December last year, as a mentor and batting consultant. He has now been handed the full reigns of the Kolkata franchise and the former all-rounder expressed his delight at having been given the opportunity to continue his association with the two-time IPL Champions.

"KKR is my family in India and the association since 2011 has been one of the most enjoyable experiences for me," Kallis said. "I look forward to the new challenge and feel honoured to be part of the KKR family."

Expressing his delight at securing the services of Kallis, considered by many as the greatest all-rounder to have ever played the game, Venky Mysore, the chief executive officer of the team, said that choosing someone from within as the new coach will ensure that the stability of the team is not disturbed.

“We couldn’t be happier that Jacques agreed to take on the role as head coach of KKR, making this transition seamless. The respect and regard he commands in the dressing room, as well as his fondness for KKR, made him our ideal choice,” Mysore said.

Having finished a disappointing IPL 8 season at fifth spot, the KKR fans will be hoping that Kallis once again play a part in the Kolkata franchise’s resurgence after a below par performance. He will be assisted by another legend in the form of Pakistan’s Wasim Akram who has been serving as the team’s bowling coach for the past few seasons.