Five Cricketers Who Played And Coached The Same IPL Team

One of the best leagues going around in the world has to be the IPL and a lot of legends have gone on to play for a franchise and have become the coach of the same team. The two-month tournament has attracted a lot of players from all over the world including greats like Glenn Mcgrath.

Most of the international duties are on hold during the tournament as the overseas players opt to take part in the IPL which is a great platform for any youngster. The upcoming IPL season is about to get underway on April 9 and here are five cricketers who played and coached the same IPL team.

Five Cricketers Who Played And Coached The Same IPL Team:

Daniel Vettori (Royals Challengers Bangalore):

Daniel Vettori was picked up in the 2011 auction by the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise and was also named as the captain of the side for the 2011 and 2012 editions. He played for the Delhi Capitals from the inaugural edition to the 2010 edition and did find success in the 2008 IPL when Delhi reached the playoffs.

Vettori has played 34 IPL games in his overall career and has picked up 28 wickets. The New Zealand veteran had one of the best economy rates in the tournament history with 6.79. He took over as the coach of the RCB franchise from 2014 to the 2018 edition and he took the team to the finals in 2016.

Jacques Kallis(Kolkata Knight Riders):

Jacques Kallis has played 98 IPL games and has scored 2427 runs in his overall career and represented two franchises including RCB and KKR. The South African all-rounder also picked up 65 wickets and was part of two IPL winning campaigns in 2012 and 2014.

After retiring from the 2014 IPL, he was appointed as the coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2016 IPL and served until the 2019 IPL. He had a tremendous impact while playing as a player for KKR but did not have the best of times as the coach and had to step down after some poor seasons.

Ricky Ponting(Mumbai Indians):

The Australian legend Ricky Ponting had a tough outing with the Mumbai Indians as he was appointed as the captain of the franchise in the IPL 2013 but had to hand over the reins to Rohit Sharma in the middle of the IPL due to his struggling form and it did bring immediate success to the franchise.

Ponting could not replicate his excellence in longer formats and struggled to get going in the shorter format. He was appointed as the head coach and found immediate success with an IPL championship victory in 2015. He was replaced by Mahela Jayawardene after a poor season in 2016 and is the head coach of the Delhi Capitals now.

Stephen Fleming(Chennai Super Kings):

The New Zealand legend Stephen Fleming was part of the CSK franchise in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He has played 10 games in the IPL scoring 196 runs and was appointed as the coach of the franchise in 2009 post-retirement. Fleming and Dhoni have served a great partnership together and have been very successful so far.

Dhoni and Fleming remain as the captain and the coach of the franchise still and after a poor season in the last IPL, they will be due for a good performance this year. Fleming has won three titles for CSK as the head coach and he continues to play an important role for CSK.

Brendon McCullum(Kolkata Knight Rider):

Brendon McCullum is the latest addition to the list of players who played for the franchise and coached the team. McCullum was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2008 inaugural edition and started the tournament with a bang scoring 156 not out. He has played for the RCB, CSK, Kochi Tuskers, and Gujarat Lions in his career

McCullum took over as the head coach of the Kolkata side in 2020 after Kallis stepped down and he did take some interesting decisions for the team. He will continue as the coach of Kolkata in the upcoming edition and is expected to take Kolkata to great heights.