Mohammad Kaif appointed assistant coach of Gujarat Lions for IPL 2017

Mohammad Kaif has been appointed as the assistant coach of the Gujarat Lions for the 2017 season while Mithun Manhas has joined Kings XI Punjab in the same position.

IPL franchise Gujarat Lions appointed former Indian middle-order batsman Mohammad Kaif as its assistant coach for the upcoming season starting April 5.

Gujarat Lions, led by Suresh Raina, made it to the play-offs of the 2016 Indian Premier League.(Hindustan Times)

Speaking on appointment, Keshav Bansal, Director, Intex Technologies and Owner, Gujarat Lions said: “Kaif is a great resource for our team, who has valuable experience and in-depth knowledge of the sport.

“The experience that he carries of the game, made us realise that he needs to be given larger roles as it will prove beneficial in our efforts to develop the game. I am confident that our team will benefit immensely from his guidance and mentorship.”

Kaif said he is looking forward to the new role.

“I am looking forward to my new role as an Assistant Coach in the team. It will be a great opportunity to work with a dynamic owner like Keshav Bansal and with an extremely talented players with likes of Suresh Raina, Ravinder Jadeja, Bravo etc.,” he said.

Mithun Manhas played for Sahara Pune Warriors in the 2011 Indian Premier League. (Hindustan Times)

Mithun Manhas joins KXIP

Mithun Manhas and J Arun Kumar has been roped in as the assistant coach and batting coach by Kings XI Punjab respectively for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The new support staff team of Kings XI for season 10 will also include Amit Tyagi as the new Physiotherapist and Manoj Kumar as the team’s Yoga Instructor.

R Sridhar will continue as fielding coach along with Nishant Thakur who takes care of strength and conditioning and Naresh Kumar who is the team masseur.

The support staff will be working in tandem with former India opener Virender Sehwag, who will mentor the team for the tournament.

Sehwag, Director - Cricket Operations and Brand Ambassador, Kings XI Punjab, said: “I am delighted to welcome Mithun, J Arun, Amit and Manoj onboard. I truly believe they will add value and strength to the squad.

“We are looking forward to working with each other and having a great tournament ahead.”

Commenting on the announcement, Promoters, Kings XI Punjab said, “We would like to welcome the team’s new coaches to the Kings XI Punjab family and are confident that our new support staff will help the boys play a better brand of cricket altogether. All of them are seasoned professionals and will enable the team to do their best this season.”

Mithun is a first class all-rounder who has played for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy and was previously associated with Chennai Super Kings, Pune Warriors and Delhi Daredevils. J Arun Kumar has coached Karnataka for Ranji Trophy and has also played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL.