PBKS Co-Owner Ness Wadia Opens Up On Sanjay Bangar's Appointment Despite Issues With Preity Zinta

Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia opened up about the appointment of Sanjay Bangar as Punjab Kings’ head of cricket development ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He said that the decision to bring him on board was unanimous. 

In what was one of the surprising moves in IPL, Punjab Kings acquired the services of Sanjay Bangar as head of cricket development. This came as a surprise because the former Indian cricketer was already part of the franchise earlier and was removed after 2016 following the team’s poor outing. 

Sanjay Bangar was with Royal Challengers Bangalore for the last few years but his stint with the team came to an end following the 2023 edition of the league. As he left the team, Punjab Kings roped him in for the upcoming edition. The former Indian batting coach during his previous stint with the team had a lot of issues. 

Sanjay Bangar didn’t get along with the franchise’s promoters and also had issues with one of the owners, Preity Zinta. The former RCB coach did a great job for the Punjab Kings in his previous stint but had to part ways. 

Ness Wadia said that it’s a homecoming for Sanjay Bangar and he is being welcomed by all the owners. He expressed his delight in having him for the upcoming edition and stated: 

“Basically, when Bangalore released him, we were very happy. So it’s a homecoming of sorts in that sense. And we’re so happy that he’s come back and he’ll be working with Trevor [Bayliss, the head coach] and everyone else. And his return is very much appreciated and welcomed.” 

“We took the opportunity to hire him again, and the decision was unanimous amongst all the promoters. We all wanted Sanjay back because he was with us earlier when he started his career and now he’s coached for India. He had also been with RCB,” Ness Wadia told Cricbuzz.

IPL 2024: There was no unceremonious parting in the first stint – Ness Wadia On Sanjay Bangar 

Ness Wadia further stated that leaving Sanjay Bangar in 2016 was not an unceremonious parting and they hope that it’ll be a longer stint this time. He added that with Bangar’s appointment, PBKS will become a force to reckon with. He elaborated: 

“There was no unceremonious parting in the first stint. I think that’s not correct. And Sanjay will be with us hopefully for a while. I’m very happy that he’s going to bring, you know, all his experience with Trevor [Bayliss], with Shikhar (Dhawan, the captain] and with the whole team and with Satish [Menon, the CEO]. And I think you’ll see a lot of sort of structure being brought in and Punjab Kings will be a force to reckon with in the years to come.”

Punjab Kings’ best season came under Sanjay Bangar in 2014. Under him team reached the final but lost to Kolkata Knight Riders. The franchise since then hasn’t qualified for the playoffs.