"We all wanted Sanjay back" - PBKS owner says Sanjay Bangar's appointment 'unanimous' despite old Preity Zinta controversy

Punjab Kings (PBKS) co-owner Ness Wadia has insisted the appointment of Sanjay Bangar as the franchise's head of cricket development was a "unanimous" call from all promoters.

Bangar served as PBKS' head coach between 2014 and 2016 and was sacked after the franchise finished last in 2016.

At that time, it was reported that another franchise co-owner Preity Zinta had issues with him. After a match between PBKS and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Mohali, Zinta reportedly barged into the team dressing and abused Bangar, and threatened to sack him, blaming him for the team's one-wicket loss.

"We took the opportunity to hire him again, and the decision was unanimous amongst all the promoters. We all wanted Sanjay back because he was with us earlier when he started his career and now he's coached for India. He had also been with RCB," Wadia told Cricbuzz.

PBKS finished runners-up in their first season under Bangar but followed it up with back-to-back wooden-spoon finishes. A former India batting coach, he worked with RCB as a batting coach and head coach in 2021 and 2022-23, respectively, before getting axed this year.

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"There was no unceremonious parting" - Ness Wadia on Sanjay Bangar's 2016 exit

Ness Wadia branded Sanjay Bangar's appointment a "homecoming", saying he and the franchise management were "very happy" when RCB released the former India all-rounder.

He also played down the backdrop of Bangar's removal from the job in 2016.

"There was no unceremonious parting in the first stint. I think that's not correct. And Sanjay will be with us hopefully for a while. I'm very happy that he's going to bring, you know, all his experience with Trevor (Bayliss, the team head coach), with Shikhar (Dhawan, the captain) and with the whole team and with Satish (Menon, the franchise CEO). And I think you'll see a lot of sort of structure being brought in and Punjab Kings will be a force to reckon with in the years to come," Wadia said.

The IPL 2024 auction will be held in Dubai on December 19. PBKS have ₹29.1 crore left in their purse.