The Indian Premier League (IPL) is recognised as one of the best cricket leagues across the globe. The influence of this lucrative tournament is so high that many cricketing bodies do not organise a bilateral tournament when IPL takes place so that their players can participate in the competition.
Over the years, a lot of fabulous players have played for the different IPL teams. Still, the level of competition is so hard that many prominent players had to hang their boots as they were considered old enough for the tournament. But, the franchises have also decided to take the services of the same set of legendary players in the form of mentors or coaches.
Let’s have a look at five such players who played and coached the same team in the IPL:
1.) Stephen Fleming – Chennai Super Kings
Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming joined CSK from the inaugural season of IPL. The left-handed batsman played ten matches for the franchise. In which, he scored 196 runs at a strike-rate of 118.79.
Fleming’s last match came against Kolkata Knight Riders. Then he was appointed as the coach of CSK. After which, the CSK management never changed its coach or captain. The combination of Fleming and MS Dhoni has done wonders for the franchise and made CSK one of the most successful teams over the years, helping the side to win as many as three trophies.
2.) Ricky Ponting – Mumbai Indians
The former Australian skipper played for two franchise, i.e. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI). In total ten games, the right-handed batsman scored 91 runs but being known for one of the sharpest cricketing brains, he was well used by the Mumbai team as they appointed him as head coach.
It was Ponting who saw leadership quality in Rohit Sharma and handed over the captaincy to him in the mid of 2013 season. Rohit, then went on to become the most successful skipper of IPL as he won 4 titles. Ponting is currently the head coach of Delhi Capitals.
3.) Daniel Vettori – Royal Challengers Bangalore
Another Kiwi player who went on to become the coach of the same team he had played for is Daniel Vettori. The left-arm spinner played for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He was picked up by Daredevils in the 2011 season, and he stayed with them until the end of 2012 edition.
In the following year, Vettori was roped in by RCB and made the captain of the team before he handed it over to Virat Kohli. In total, the former New Zealand cricketer played 34 games and took 28 wickets. In 2014, Vettori was made the head coach of RCB, and until 2018, he stayed at that position.
4.) Jacques Kallis – Kolkata Knight Riders
The former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis played as many as 98 matches in the lucrative league for teams like RCB and KKR. He amassed 2427 runs and grabbed 65 wickets before announcing his retirement from IPL.
Kallis was named the head coach in 2016, and the side made it to the playoffs as well. However, KKR couldn’t perform to their potential in the following editions and eventually after the 2019 poor show, Kallis left the position of the head coach.
5.) Brendon McCullum – Kolkata Knight Riders
Brendon McCullum was the player who drove IPL into instant fame after he played an unbelievable 158-run knock in the opening game of the inaugural season in 2008. His first-ever performance was so good that even after so many editions of the cash-rich league, Baz’s innings remains one of the best in the format.
McCullum had played for the teams like KKR, CSK, RCB, Kochi Tuskers and the Gujarat Lions before saying goodbye in 2018. The Kiwi batsman featured in 109 games and smashed 2880 runs with 13 half-centuries and two hundreds to his name. Mccullum joined KKR as the head coach after Kallis decided to vacate the place for the 2020 edition.
