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Chandrakant Pandit: (Image Source: Twitter)
The two times champion of the Indian T20 League, Kolkata franchise announced the appointment of Chandrakant Pandit as the head coach of their team on Wednesday. The former Indian cricketer recently coached Madhya Pradesh to a Ranji Trophy title this year.
Kolkata decided to appoint Chandrakant Pandit, a major name in the domestic circuit, who has six Ranji Trophy titles as a coach. Kolkata's previous coach Brendon McCullum, has left his position to join the English Test camp, earlier, this year. The former Indian wicketkeeper-batter guided Madhya Pradesh to their first Ranji Trophy final in 23 years and defeated his home side Mumbai in the final to lift the prestigious trophy.
Kolkata CEO, Venky Mysore, expressed his excitement about the appointment of the Indian coach and reckoned him to be the best person to lead the franchise to the next phase of their journey. Kolkata, who finished up as runner-up in the 2021 season, had an underwhelming outing in Indian T20 League 2022, finishing seventh on the points table.
“We are very excited that Chandu is joining the Kolkata family to lead us through the next phase of our journey. His deep commitment to what he does and his track record of success in domestic cricket is there for everyone to see. We are looking forward to his partnership with our skipper Shreyas Iyer, which promises to be an exciting one.” Venky Mysore said in an official statement to the franchise website.
Notably, Chandrakant Pandit was rumoured to be in contention for a coaching job in 2012. But in an interview earlier this year, he revealed turning down the offer of working under Trevor Bayliss, who guided them to their maiden Indian T20 League title that year. The former Indian cricketer rose to fame after leading a relatively unknown Vidarbha to back-to-back titles three years ago.
“It’s a great honour and privilege to be given this responsibility. I have heard from players and others who have been associated with the franchise, about the family culture, as well as the tradition of success that has been created. I am excited about the quality of the support staff and the players who are part of the setup and I am looking forward to this opportunity with all humility and positive expectations.” Chandrakant Pandit said.