Bayliss succeeds Whatmore as KKR's coach

During Trevor Bayliss' four year stint, Sri Lanka advanced to the finals both in the World T20 2009 and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Trevor Bayliss will be the chief coach of Kolkata Knight Riders in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League, the franchise announced on Tuesday. Bayliss, who coached the Sri Lankans to runner-up positions at the T20 World Cup (2009) and ICC World Cup (2011), will succeed Dav Whatmore as KKR’s coach.

“We are pleased to welcome Trevor Bayliss as our head coach,” Shah Rukh Khan, principal owner of the Kolkata-based franchise, was quoted as saying in a media release. “With his rich experience, successful track record and knowledge of the conditions in the sub-continent, we believe he is the right person to take KKR to the next level of performance.”

Bayliss said he was delighted to take up the job. “I have followed the IPL and KKR’s performance and I am honored to become part of this team, which has already built a reputation as a very popular and professional franchise,” he said. “The team, the support staff, the owners and management are outstanding and I look forward to working with everyone and striving for the highest honors.”

Dav Whatmore was with the franchise in Editions 3 and 4. It was under his tenure that the Knight Riders advanced to the IPL semifinals (2011) for the first time in four attempts.

Whatmore had played a key role in Sri Lanka’s World Cup success in 1996. Later he coached Bangladesh into the Super-Eight for the first time in a World Cup, in 2007.

Last year, there was a big uproar amidst Kolkata fans following the snub of Sourav Ganguly, who lead the franchise twice in his three years stint with them. The first few games even witnessed empty stands. However, as the league progressed and as the Knight Riders put up a fine performance, the crowd thronged the ground like never before.

Whatmore has played a key role is KKR’s resurgence right from spotting talent to planning team strategies in the fourth edition.

Venky Mysore, the CEO of KKR, who acknowledged his contributions to the franchise, said, “We fully support Dav’s keen interest in pursuing an international coaching role and we wish him the very best. His decision to resign is to ensure that KKR is able to plan for its transition and we thank him for that.”

Whatmore was contracted to the National Cricket academy in 2007. He was handed a three-year deal and was given a mandate. Midway through the assignment in 2009, he moved to take over the reins of KKR. Now he has preferred to leave Kolkata for Lahore as he is one of the front-runners as Pakistan coach and is expected to take up the job after Waqar Younis, though the Pakistan board has maintained that they are still mulling options.