Punjab Kings appoint Sanjay Bangar as Head of Cricket Development ahead of IPL 2024

Punjab Kings took to X, to announce the arrival of the former Indian cricketer which read, "We are delighted to announce the return of our sher, Sanjay Bangar as the new Head of Cricket Development at Punjab Kings. Mr. Bangar brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our organization, and we are confident that under his leadership, our cricket development programs will reach new heights."

https://x.com/PunjabKingsIPL/status/1733094059525210530?s=20

Bangar will work with the head coach Trevor Bayliss and according to ESPNcricinfo, he will also be available at the IPL auction in Dubai on December 19.

Bangar was a part of the Indian side that reached the semi-final of the 2019 ODI World Cup. He later took up the role of batting consultant with Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2021 to 2023.

RCB did not renew his contract and decided to go for Andy Flower as their new head coach. The former batter will begin his second stint with PBKS. During his first stint, the franchise (then Kings XI Punjab) reached their maiden IPL final in 2014, since then, they haven't even made the PlayOffs. But even ended up at the bottom of the table for two consecutive times in the following seasons.

PBKS finished at number eight last season, with six wins and eight losses. They failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Players released: Shahrukh Khan, Raj Bawa, Baltej Dhanda, Mohit Rathee, Bhanuka Rajapaksa.

Players retained: Shikhar Dhawan, Jitesh Sharma, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Matthew Short, Harpreet Bhatia, Atharva Taide, Rishi Dhawan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Shivam Singh, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar, Gurnoor Brar, Vidwath Kaverappa. (ANI)