Simon Katich named head coach of IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore

The arrival of the former Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach and Mike Hesson, who has been appointed as director of cricket operations, has signalled the departure of Gary Kirsten and bowling coach Ashish Nehra

Simon Katich has been named the head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, the franchise announced on Friday.

The former Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach has been joined at the franchise by former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson, who has assumed the role of director of cricket operations.

The arrival of Katich, who last month was also appointed as head coach for the Manchester-based side for the inaugural season of The Hundred next year, along with Hesson therefore signals the end of the road for Gary Kirsten and bowling coach Ashish Nehra's association with the franchise.

Former India fast bowler Nehra, and Kirsten, the former South Africa batsman who coached India to their 2011 World Cup win, had been appointed in 2018 after former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori was removed as head coach.

However, having made the final in 2016, Royal Challengers Bangalore finished sixth in 2018 and last in IPL 2019, which has led to a rethink in the coaching staff.

"RCB's purpose is to be the most trusted, respected and best performing T20 franchise and hence our constant endeavour is to create a culture of excellence and high performance for every member of the team," Sanjeev Churiwala, the Royal Challengers chairman, said in a media statement.

"We believe that Mike's extensive experience in building strong teams along with Simon's powerful cricket experience will help us create a winning culture. As a result of this restructuring exercise, we will be moving to a single coach model."

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