BCCI ends hunt for CoE coaches, L Balaji among 10 others to take over after IPL 2026

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finalised its new coaching roster of 10 coaches at the Centre of Excellence (CoE). After Troy Cooley’s exit as the head of pace bowling in January, the BCCI had invited applications from coaches. The board wasn’t just interested in replacing Cooley but also wanted to start afresh.

Former CSK bowling coach hired

Steffan Jones, a reputed bowling coach from England, who recently helped Nitish Kumar Reddy increase his pace, was among the top contenders to replace Cooley. BCCI even interviewed him in person in Hyderabad. But for whatever reason, it didn’t materialise. Therefore, instead of one, three fast bowling coaches have been hired.

According to Cricbuzz, Vikram Raj Vir Singh, commonly known as VRV Singh, Lakshmipathy Balaji, and P. Krishnakumar will join the Bengaluru facility after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 ends, since several candidates are currently employed by franchises. VRV has coached Chandigarh, Punjab, and was the bowling coach of the men’s India Under-19 team until recently.

Balaji was the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings’ bowling coach in the IPL from 2017 to 2022. He has been working at the Super Kings Academy since. Krishnakumar has been working as the bowling coach of the Jammu and Kashmir state since August 2024 and recently took them to their maiden Ranji Trophy title. He has worked with the likes of Auqib Nabi, Yudhvir Singh, and Umran Malik.

2 batting coaches

Yere Goud, a former Karnataka all-rounder who played domestic cricket for 17 years, will take over as one of the two batting coaches. He has coached the Karnataka, Andhra, and India under-19 teams since retiring as a player. Sunetra Paranjpe, who has been the Mumbai women’s cricket team’s head coach since June 2023, will accompany Goud.

Fielding coach to leave KKR, join CoE

Dishant Yagnik, who was appointed KKR’s fielding coach ahead of the IPL 2026, is expected to leave the franchise after one season. The former wicketkeeper-batter played for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) from 2011 to 2014. Yagnik transitioned into their fielding coach in 2018 and left before the 2025 season. Now, he’ll leave KKR. 3 other fielding coaches will join CoE.

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