Former India coach Gary Kirsten was on Tuesday appointed chief coach of the Delhi Daredevils for the seventh season of the Indian Premier League, says a report in The Indian Express.
The 45-year-old South African, who guided the national team to World Cup triumph in 2011 apart from taking the Test side to the No.1 spot, has been roped in to turn the fortunes of one of the most popular franchises in the IPL after their disastrous eighth-place finish in the last season. However, the support staff will remain intact with Eric Simons now working as an assistant coach alongside his close friend while T A Sekar continues to be the Team Mentor. Mushtaq Ahmed is also expected to be the spin consultant once again.
"It is indeed a massive privilege to work with the Delhi Daredevils side after having worked with two international sides (India and South Africa). I have always maintained that building a quality side is a process and I am looking forward to taking up this new challenge in franchise cricket," Kirsten told mediapersons here.
According to a report in Deccan Chronicle, Kirsten admitted that it was through his "old friend" Simons that he was offered the role of chief coach. "I was recommended by Mr Simons and after having a chat with the owners, I found them to be good people. My job will be to help the boys perform to the best of their abilities. Also having Simons around helps a lot as we go back a long way and complement each other really well."
"The IPL at this stage of my career is a perfect thing to have happened considering the commitments I have towards my family. They are my priority and devoting three months a year is fine for me," the soft-spoken gutsy opener of yesteryears explained.
Meanwhile, the newly appointed chief coach did admit that a whole lot of thought process needs to go into building a good team as there will be a fresh auction before IPL VII next year, says a report in Deccan Herald. According to the report, when Kirsten was asked if he would he like the controversial 'Player Retention Policy' to be done away with which might give a chance to re-visit the hit combination of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Gary Kirsten, he said, "I am not going to let out any strategies at the moment. That will be between me and the owners. It's a quick tournament and it is important to carry on with a momentum. Yes, I have some names that I would want in my team having had the knowledge of working in India.
"I will reveal those names to the owners when the time is right. Obviously, T20 demands a certain level of skill sets and I would like to get that in my team also."
