Dodda Ganesh thrown out by Kenya a month after his appointment as head coach

Former India National Cricket Team player Dodda Ganesh has been shown the exit door by the Kenya National Cricket Team from the role of head coach. The cricketing body of the country has dismissed the head coach with immediate effect.

Dodda Ganesh was appointed as the head coach of the Kenya National Cricket Team on August 14, 2024. The former India player had signed a one-year deal with the Cricket Team as the head coach, but the deal didn't last long, as he was removed from the role just after one month.

Dodda Ganesh, after he was appointed as the head coach of Kenya, made some strong statements, saying that he wants to make the team qualify for both the ODI and the T20 World Cups. He also mentioned that they started the preparations for the same.

Ganesh also made a statement, saying that he will be conducting the fitness test of the players as well. He claimed that they will be assessing the local games and will slowly get into the process. As quoted by ESPNCricinfo, he stated:

"The objective is to qualify for the World Cups, both ODIs and T20Is, but before that, we need to start preparing and start making progress. We have started preparing, and the signs are good. We have hardly any time left [for the first tournament], so I am watching local league matches. There will be fitness tests. We will slowly get into a process,"

The agreement that Dodda Ganesh signed with Cricket Kenya has been deemed invalid - Reports

As per the reports in InsideSport, it is learned that the agreement that Dodda Ganesh signed with Cricket Kenya has been deemed invalid. On the other hand, Lameck Onyango & Joseph Angara will resume their duties as the coaches for the 2027 Challenge League Group A round in September.

Dodda Ganesh was supposed to take charge of the team in the ICC Division 2 Challenge League this month, where they will be facing Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Denmark, and Jersey, subsequently followed by the T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers in October. But even before his first assignment, he was sacked.

According to the same report, a statement was passed regarding the sudden removal of Ganesh due to the failure to comply with the pre-set guidelines during the process of appointment.

Cricket Kenya’s Director of Women’s Cricket, Pearlyne Omami, signed the official letter, which declined Dodda Ganesh's agreement with the team. The letter read:

"Under a resolution of the executive board of Cricket Kenya passed on Wednesday, 28th August 2024, and anchored under inter alia Articles 5.9 and 8.4.3 of the Cricket Kenya Constitution, we wish to notify you that the executive board has declined to ratify your appointment as head coach of the men’s cricket national team for want of following established procedures."

Ganesh played 5 games for the India National Cricket Team. He was a domestic veteran for Karnataka accounting for a total of 493 dismissals and registering a total of 2548 runs.