IPL Auction 2025: CA breaks silence as Daniel Vettori prioritizes IPL over Australia coaching duties

Daniel Vettori is all set to leave the Australia cricket team midway through the high-stakes first Test of the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against India in Perth, as the coach will jet off to Saudi Arabia to fulfill his Indian Premier League (IPL) duties.

The timing couldn’t have been more dramatic, as the first of the upcoming five-match Test series will begin on November 22 at Perth’s Optus Stadium, while the IPL 2025 mega auction is scheduled for November 24-25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Daniel Vettori to miss the first BGT 2024-25 Test for IPL 2025 Mega Auction

The former New Zealand captain is currently serving as the bowling coach of the Australia cricket team as well as head coach of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Vettori’s dual commitments make things tough for him, as he will have to leave the Australian team mid-way for the IPL 2025 mega auction.

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According to ESPNCricinfo, Daniel Vettori will leave the Australian team during the first Test against India in Perth to attend the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction. Notably, Australia’s Test and ODI captain, Pat Cummins, is the captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL.

Vettori is not the only one who is facing such a dilemma, as Ricky Ponting (Punjab Kings head coach) and Justin Langer (Lucknow Super Giants head coach) are also facing similar conflicts, as they have to leave their commentator duties in the Peth Test aside to fulfill their IPL commitments in the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction.

Daniel Vettori, Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer will miss Perth Test

However, Daniel Vettori’s case is different from Ponting and Langer, as he is the rarest coach who is balancing a permanent international role with head coach positions in both the IPL and the Hundred. His packed schedule forces him to miss something from somewhere.

Notably, Vettori has been serving as Australia’s bowling coach since 2022 under head coach Andrew McDonald. His expertise has been crucial across the formats, and his presence is highly valued by Cricket Australia (CA). However, Cricket Australia (CA) has granted Vettori the flexibility to maintain his franchise commitments along with his international duty.

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Meanwhile, an Australia cricket team spokesperson confirmed that Daniel Vettori will leave for the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction after completing final preparations for the first Test against India. However, after the auction, the bowling coach will be available for the remainder of the Test series.

We are very supportive of Dan's role as Head Coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad: Cricket Australia (CA)

An Australia team spokesperson was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo: “We are very supportive of Dan's role as Head Coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Dan will complete final preparations for the first Test before attending the IPL auction. He will then be with the team for the remainder of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.”

Daniel Vettori will step away from a Test match midway to attend the IPL auction for the first time. Last year, he managed to balance his commitments when Australia was playing in Pakistan. He traveled to India for the IPL 2024 auction between the matches.

However, to avoid such a situation, Cricket Australia (CA) has already begun the search for a dedicated full-time bowling coach for the national team. The new bowling coach will step in for Vettori during Australia’s tours when the Kiwi legend is unable to be available.