Punjab Kings makes shocking move ahead of IPL 2026, officially announce new coach name
After appointing veteran cricketer Sairaj Bahutule as the new spin bowling coach, Punjab Kings (PBKS) has made another significant signing ahead of the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). This signing will make their coaching team stronger on paper.
After appointing veteran cricketer Sairaj Bahutule as the new spin bowling coach, Punjab Kings (PBKS) has made another significant signing ahead of the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). This signing will make their coaching team stronger on paper.
On Friday (October 24) afternoon, through their social media account, PBKS officially announced the signing of Anand Date as their strength and conditioning coach. He will be working with head coach Ricky Ponting, assistant coach Brad Haddin, and other coaching staff of the setup.
Who is Anand Date?
Anand Date is a well-known strength and conditioning coach in Indian domestic cricket. In January 2017 he was appointed as the strength & conditioning trainer for the Indian senior men’s cricket team for the series versus England and Bangladesh. He worked within camps of the National Cricket Academy and BCCI-organized training camps. Anand cemented his reputation for developing and overseeing fitness, sports science, conditioning, injury prevention, etc. for the players.
Appointing Anand Date is a significant move by Punjab Kings, the runner-up of IPL 2025, as their squad is full of young and exciting talents. Anand has the experience of working with emerging cricketers, which can be fruitful with PBKS as well. In the previous IPL season, the strength and conditioning coach for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) was Adrian Le Roux, who left the team in June 2025 to become the new strength and conditioning coach for the Indian men's cricket team. He had a six-year tenure with PBKS. Anand will join the team in place of Adrian.
Punjab Kings coaching staff for IPL 2026:
Head Coach: Ricky Ponting
Assistant Coach: Brad Haddin
Fast Bowling Coach: James Hopes
Spin Bowling Coach: Sairaj Bahutule
Assistant Bowling Coach: Trevor Gonsalves
Our strength and conditioning coach: Anand Date
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