Damien Wright, the former Australian first-class cricketer, has been appointed as the new bowling coach of Punjab Kings. The 45-year-old will train the bowlers of PBKS for IPL 2021 with guidance from the head coach and Director of Cricket Operations, Anil Kumble.
“I am delighted to come on board as bowling coach for Punjab Kings. The team looks great and there is tremendous potential in this squad and I look forward to working alongside an amazing support staff team this season of the IPL,” said Wright.
The pacer began his first-class career in 1997-98 for Worcestershire and went on to play 123 matches. He played representative cricket till 2011, including for Australia A. As far as his coaching career is concerned, Wright has worked in the T20 league circuit with the Hobart Hurricanes and the Melbourne Stars in the BBL in the past. On the international level, in 2018 he was appointed as the head coach of the Bangladesh Under-19 side. He has also served as New Zealand’s bowling coach.
With this appointment, Wright replaces South Africa’s Charl Langeveldt and joins the PBKS support staff, which includes assistant coach Andy Flower, batting coach Wasim Jaffer and fielding coach Jonty Rhodes, apart from Kumble.
Punjab Kings will start their IPL campaign against Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai on April 12. Earlier last month, they welcomed Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Dawid Malan, Fabian Allen, Jalaj Saxena, Saurabh Kumar, and Utkarsh Singh to the team during the auction. With a new name and a fairly balanced squad, PBKS would start their IPL 2021 journey to change their fortune in the league.