Simon Katich has stepped down as head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the IPL franchise announced at a press conference on Saturday.
“Simon Katich, the head coach of the RCB, has decided to step down. It’s mainly due to personal reasons. We, as management, completely support his decision and back him on this,” Rajesh Menon, the vice-president and head of RCB, said.
Mike Hesson, RCB’s Director of Cricket Operations, will also be their head coach for the upcoming second leg of IPL 2021.
“We would like to thank Simon Katich for his work during his time at RCB and wish him all success in the future. In RCB, we always have a business continuity plan, and as per the business continuity plan, Mike Hesson will step in and discharge the duties of head coach until the end of this tournament,” Menon added.
“We all know, Mike Hesson has been coaching the New Zealand cricket team and other cricket teams for the last 15-20 years. So Mike will be stepping into this position till the end of this tournament, and he will also be holding the existing role of Director of Cricket Operations.”
🔊 ANNOUNCEMENT 🔊@CoachHesson takes over as head coach for the remainder of #IPL2021 after Simon Katich made himself unavailable due to personal reasons. #PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/MQ8ErjqMZI
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) August 21, 2021
Katich, who was appointed head coach of the RCB in August 2019, played a key role in reviving the fortunes of Virat Kohli & Co. over the last two years. Under Katich, RCB reached the play-offs in IPL 2020 – the first time they managed to do so since 2016. RCB were at the third spot in the points table until IPL 2021 got postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases in the bio-bubble.
The IPL 2021 will resume from September 19 in the UAE.
