Mike Hesson, former Kings XI Punjab coach has been appointed as Director, Cricket Operations for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Simon Katich is the new head coach as the franchise has decided to release Gary Kirsten and Ashish Nehra.
Hesson to work with the team closely
Hesson’s job role will be to look after the overall RCB cricket operations including defining policy, strategy, programs, scouting, performance management, and bringing in best practices throughout all aspects. To accomplish his duties he will work closely with the players and the coaching team and will be a part of the RCB management team. This new position has been created within the franchise for the overall improvement. Mike Hesson has some strong cricketing experience of being head coach & mentor to the New Zealand team with a focus on T20. He is internationally famous for being a leader who achieves results without sacrificing on culture.
Speaking on the appointment, RCB Chairman Sanjeev Churiwala opined, “RCB’s purpose is to be the most trusted, respected and best performing T20 Franchise and hence our constant endeavour is to create a culture of excellence and high performance for every member of the team.”
RCB planning for future
Churiwala further explained how RCB’s motto is to focus on a single coach model. He thanked Kirsten and Nehra for their contributions as well. “As a result of this restructuring exercise, we will be moving to a single coach model. Consequently, we would like to thank Gary Kirsten and Ashish Nehra for their contribution over the past two seasons. They leave us with a legacy of having given several young players the confidence to show their ability on the highest stage. Everyone at Royal Challengers Bangalore wishes them all the best in the future.”
Hesson and Katich both have experiences of IPL. Hesson parted ways from KXIP team earlier in the month as he had applied for the job of India coach, which eventually went to Ravi Shastri. On the other hand, Katich’s association with KKR also ended earlier in the month when they appointed former Brendon McCullum as their head coach.
