Punjab Kings appoint Sunil Joshi as spin bowling coach for IPL 2023

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], January 16 (ANI): Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings has appointed former Indian cricketer Sunil Joshi as their spin bowling coach for the upcoming season of the cash-rich league in 2023.

“Punjab Kings have roped in former Indian cricketer Sunil Joshi as the spin bowling coach for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023,” said a statement from the franchise on Monday. The 52-year-old has joined the Kings’ backroom staff, led by head coach Trevor Bayliss.

Joshi will bring a wealth of experience to the Kings’ set-up, having played 69 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 15 Tests for India between 1996 and 2001. The Karnataka-born cricketer bagged 69 ODI wickets and 41 Test dismissals. The orthodox left-arm spinner claimed 615 First-Class wickets in 160 matches at an average of 25.12, including 31 five-wicket hauls. Joshi has the experience of representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for two seasons of the IPL in 2008 and 2009.

Furthermore, Joshi has also served as the chief seelector of the Indian men’s senior team before being replaced by Chetan Sharma in 2022. Meanwhile, the Kings have already appointed former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Brad Haddin as the assistant coach for IPL 2023. Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer has been named the batting coach and ex-South African fast bowler Charl Langeveldt will serve as the fast bowling coach for the upcoming edition of the IPL.

The Kings have also bolstered their squad by acquiring the services of star England all-rounder Sam Curran for a whopping INR 18.50 crore at the IPL 2023 mini auction held in Kochi on December 23, 2022. The 2014 IPL finalists have also signed Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza and domestic stars Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Mohit Rathee and Shivam Singh for the forthcoming season.

Under newly-appointed captain Shikhar Dhawan, the Kings will aim to clinch their maiden IPL title this season. In the last season in 2022, PBKS had finished sixth with 14 points and seven wins and seven losses in their 14 matches.