Indian Premier League 2025 runners-up Punjab Kings have announced the appointment of former Rajasthan Royals coach Sairaj Bahutule as the team’s new spin bowling coach ahead of the upcoming season.
Punjab Kings finished as the top team in the IPL 2025 points table with 19 points before losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore twice in the playoffs. They lost the game in Qualifier 1 and again in the final by only 6 runs, giving PBKS its second runner-up finish in IPL history.
The entire coaching unit, including captain Shreyas Iyer as well as Ricky Ponting, was freshly recruited to join IPL 2025, and they delivered perfect results for the Kings. However, he has cited some changes to be made to the coaching staff ahead of the upcoming season.
Punjab Kings announce new spin coach ahead of IPL 2026
Experienced coach Sairaj Bahutule has been selected as the new spin bowling coach in the Punjab Kings setup, replacing former spin coach Sunil Joshi ahead of the IPL mini-auction. Former Punjab Kings lineup coach Sunil Joshi left the franchise to become the new bowling coach at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
Before this, he served as the bowling coach at the CoE and held the post from November 2021 to January 2025, but left to join former National Cricket Academy chief Rahul Dravid at Rajasthan Royals.
Bahutule was released by Rajasthan Royals ahead of the upcoming season following the exit of head coach Rahul Dravid of the IPL franchise. This time, he got a chance to work under another cricket legend, Ricky Ponting.
CEO Satish Menon welcomes Sairaj Bahutule to PBKS
Following the appointment of the experienced Indian coach, Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon warmly welcomed Bahutule and said, “We extend our heartfelt thanks to Sunil Joshi for his dedicated service and contribution to the Punjab Kings over the years. As we look ahead, we are thrilled to welcome Sairaj Bahutule to our coaching staff.”
He added, “Sairaaj’s deep understanding of the game, especially his extensive experience in preparing domestic bowlers and managing tactics, will be invaluable to us. His expertise aligns perfectly with our vision of building a strong and cohesive bowling unit for the coming season.”
Sairaj Bahutule, in turn, expressed his excitement towards joining the franchise and said, “I am really excited to join the Punjab Kings as the spin bowling coach for the upcoming IPL season. This is a team that plays a different brand of cricket, and I can see that there is a lot of potential. They have a bunch of talented players, and I am looking forward to honing their skills and helping them reach new heights.” Looking forward to working with him.”
With Sunil Joshi replaced, PBKS retains remaining staff for IPL 2026
Following Sunil Joshi’s parting ways with PBKS, the runners-up have appointed his replacement but are not considering making any changes to the highly successful coaching staff led by Australian great Ricky Ponting.
PBKS coaching staff for IPL 2026:
Head Coach: Ricky Ponting
Assistant Coach: Brad Haddin
Fast bowling coach: James Hopes
Spin bowling coach: Sairaj Bahutule (in place of Sunil Joshi)
Assistant Bowling Coach: Trevor Gonsalves
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