Coaching a cricket team requires a combination of calmness, aggression, clever decision-making, and strategic thinking. A coach is criticised if his team loses. Cricket has witnessed some of the finest coaches since the game was introduced, and there have been coaches who have made a big statement through their bold decision-making and ability to motivate their players.

This piece discusses the 10 best coaches in world cricket who have successfully led their teams to some emphatic wins. The coaches mentioned in the list varied in their strategies, decision-making, and team selection process, but they were more than effective with their mentoring. We discuss these 10 coaches in detail:

1. John Buchanan

Buchanan guided Australia to two World Cups in 2003 and 2007 after being appointed as the coach in October 1999. Under his guidance, Australia dominated world cricket as Ricky Ponting was at his best as the captain. Buchanan helped Australia win the Champions Trophy in 2006. He coached some of the best players who helped Australia register some famous wins.

2. Gary Kirsten

The former South African batter was appointed the coach of the Indian team in 2008 after India's disappointing exit during the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. Under his guidance, India beat Australia at home 2-0 during the test series.

 He helped the men in Blue win the triangular ODI series in Australia. Under Gary Kirsten's guidance, India won the bilateral series against Sri Lanka in 2008 and also won the test series as well as the ODI series against New Zealand in 2009 in New Zealand. He helped India win the 2011 50-over World Cup.

See Also: Virat Kohli retires from Test: Career stats, milestones, and legacy

3. Trevor Bayliss

England cricket went through its worst after being knocked out in the quarter-final of the 2015 World Cup in Australia by Bangladesh. After Bayliss was appointed, English cricket went through a rebuilding phase under captain Eoin Morgan.

 Bayliss helped England make it to the 2016 T20 World Cup final, but his biggest achievement would be the 2019 50-over World Cup that the Three Lions won. Players like Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler were at their best under his guidance.

4. John Wright

The former Kiwi International completely changed the Indian players' temperament by working closely with captain Sourav Ganguly. John Wright laid the platform of the current Indian set-up, and his bold decision-making making combined with his clever strategies, helped India win abroad.

The famous 2002 Natwest final against England, where the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif showcased their never-say-die attitude. Players like Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, etc were groomed under him. India made it to the 2003 World Cup final and also managed to equal the test series in Australia in 2003-04.

5. Gary Stead

Gary Stead will be remembered as the most underrated coach, yet he has yielded positive results. The 53-year-old helped New Zealand make it to the 2019 limited-overs World Cup final as well as the 2021 T20I World Cup final. Under his guidance, New Zealand won the 2021 World Test Championship and also managed to make it to the 2025 Champions Trophy final. He helped New Zealand beat India 3-0 in India in a 3-match test series.

6. Dav Whatmore

Whatmore's confident and clever selection of team combination made him of the best coaches, despite not achieving greater heights as a player. he helped Sri Lanka win the 1996 50-over World Cup and helped them dominate world cricket. When he took over his post as Bangladesh coach, everyone was surprised when Bangladesh beat Australia in an ODI match in 2005. Bangladesh beat India in the 2007 World Cup match that shocked everyone.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) team Punjab Kings (PBKS) has reportedly ended the journey with Trevor Bayliss and Sanjay Bangar, the head coach and head of cricket development, respectively.  

Earlier this month, the Punjab Kings officially announced Ricky Ponting as the new head coach of the team. The team CEO Satish Menon also revealed that Ponting will handle the team for the next four years. 

Ponting’s appointment almost confirmed Trevor Bayliss’ exit from the team. Punjab Kings also ended their contract with Sanjay Bangar.

SEE ALSO: Shakib Al Hasan announces his retirement from the shortest format

Trevor Bayliss joined Punjab Kings after IPL 2022

Bayliss joined Punjab Kings as the head coach after the IPL 2022. The Australian had replaced Anil Kumble in the head coach role. Kumble coached PBKS from IPL 2020 to IPL 2022. While the Punjab franchise finished in sixth places under Kumble’s three-year coaching, including in the ten-team competition in the IPL 2022, the team finished in eighth and ninth places under Bayliss’ coaching in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, respectively.

Sanjay Bangar rejoined Punjab Kings in December 2023

On the other hand, Sanjay Bangar joined Punjab Kings as head of cricket development in December 2023. Previously, Bangar was the head coach of the Punjab franchise between 2014 and 2016. 

Punjab Kings are struggling

Punjab Kings, formerly known as Kings XI Punjab, are among the most underperformed teams in IPL history. Although they debuted in the inaugural edition of the IPL (2008) and appeared in every IPL season, they only managed to finish in the top four twice. 

During the inaugural IPL season, the Punjab franchise finished in second place in the points table but lost the semi-final against Chennai Super Kings. 

In the IPL 2014, Punjab Kings finished on top of the points table. Although they lost the Qualifier 1 against Kolkata Knight Riders by 28 runs, they won the Qualifier 2 against Chennai Super Kings by 24 runs to book their ticket for the final. In the final of that tournament, they lost against Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets in the final over and finished as the runners-up. 

In the Champions League T20 2014, Punjab Kings were eliminated from the semi-final. 

Following in the footsteps of two time ODI World Cup winning captain Ricky Ponting, another Australian Trevor Bayliss is expected to leave his coaching role in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Bayliss the head coach of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) may part ways with the Mohali based team before the IPL season 2025.

The Punjab Kings did not make it to the playoffs this year, finishing ninth out of ten teams. They managed only six wins and suffered nine losses. The last time PBKS made it to the playoffs was in 2014.

Bayliss’s contract ends

Trevor Bayliss’s two-year contract with the Punjab Kings, owned by Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, has ended. Reports suggest that the team is unlikely to renew his contract for the next T20 season.

According to Cricbuzz, the Punjab Kings are looking for an Indian coach for the 2025 IPL season. They are considering several candidates including Sanjay Bangar, who was previously the head coach and is now the director of cricket development.

A board meeting to decide on the head coach role was scheduled for July 22, but it didn’t happen. The team is still exploring other options before the mega-auction later this year.

Why Bayliss might leave

Sources say PBKS wants an Indian coach to lead the team. Although they don’t have issues with Bayliss’s coaching style, they are unhappy with the results over the past two seasons. Despite having a strong squad, the team has not performed well. Bayliss took over from Anil Kumble before the 2023 season.

Indian coaches are popular in the IPL. Recently, Gautam Gambhir and Chandrakant Pandit guided the Kolkata Knight Riders, while Ashish Nehra led the Gujarat Titans to the title in 2022. Dinesh Karthik will join the Royal Challengers Bengaluru as a batting coach for the upcoming season.

Bayliss has coached Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Punjab Kings, as well as the England cricket team. However his recent T20 record has been disappointing. The PBKS management will review the last season’s performance before making any final decisions.

Future of IPL coaching

Rahul Dravid is drawing interest from several IPL teams. The future of Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki with the Gujarat Titans is uncertain. The Kolkata Knight Riders are also expected to appoint new coaches after Gautam Gambhir, Abhishek Nayar, and Ryan ten Doeschate moved to the Indian team.