Punjab Kings kick out Trevor Bayliss, Sanjay Bangar after Ricky Ponting's appointment as head coach

In a major development, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) have decided to part ways with their head coach, Trevor Bayliss, and head of cricket development, Sanjay Bangar, according to a report.

Notably, Bayliss was appointed as the head coach of the franchise after IPL 2022, and Bangar became a member of the franchise in December 2023.

Recently, Ricky Ponting was named as the new head coach of the Punjab Kings ahead of the Indian Premier League 2025 mega auction. The Aussie legend bagged the IPL deal just a few months after being sacked by Delhi Capitals (DC) as head coach.

Ricky Ponting has signed a 4-year deal with the PBKS franchise and he has been given the power to pick his coaching staff. As per ESPNcricinfo, the franchise has made the decision to part ways with Trevor Bayliss and Sanjay Bangar as they are completely revamping their coaching staff in order to finally end their title drought and improve their performances.

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Sanjay Bangar has been associated with the franchise for a significant amount of time, with his first stint as head coach coming way back in 2014, which lasted till 2016. After that, he took over the roles in the Indian team and Royal Challengers Bengaluru before returning to Punjab. Meanwhile, Bayliss was appointed as the head coach of the franchise after IPL 2022, replacing Anil Kumble in the role.

Underachievers Punjab Kings To Have A New Captain In IPL 2025

The Punjab Kings have arguably been the biggest underachievers in the history of the Indian Premier League. The franchise, which was previously known as Kings XI Punjab, was established in 2008 and it is one of the three original teams to never lift the IPL championship.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Kings, which is jointly owned by Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, Wadia Group scion Ness Wadia, Dabur’s Mohit Burman and Karan Paul, delivered one of their best-ever performance in their inaugural season as they reached the semi-finals.

However, since then they have been highly inconsistent. Between 2009-2013, they finished mid-to-lower table, with a best finish of 5th in 2009 and 2011. Things completely changed for PBKS in 2014 as they came very close to lifting the trophy, but they lost the final to the Kolkata Knight Riders.

After a stand-out season, the expectations from Punjab Kings were sky-high, but things only went downhill for them from 2015 to 2019 as they finished in the lower half of the table, including last-place finishes in 2015 and 2016. The following years were not good for them either, as they were placed between 6 to 8, and in IPL 2024, they ended their campaign in the 9th position.

Over the year, Punjab Kings have made a plethora of changes to their leadership and the trend is set to continue as they will have a new captain in IPL 2025. This time, however, they have been forced to make a change as their skipper, Shikhar Dhawan, has retired from all forms of cricket.