Punjab Kings rope in Damien Wright as their bowling coach for IPL 2021

The Punjab Kings have roped in Australia's Damien Wright as their bowling coach ahead of IPL 2021. Wright, who previously served as the bowling coach for New Zealand, has got a good amount of experience in the role.

Damien Wright was involved with the Hobart Hurricanes and the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL) and even worked with the Bangladesh U-19 team in 2018.

The 45-year-old, who picked up 406 wickets in 123 first-class matches, expressed his delight in taking up this new role.

"I am delighted to come on board as bowling coach for the Punjab Kings. The team looks great and there is tremendous potential in this squad. I look forward to working alongside the amazing support staff team this season," said Damien Wright.

Damien Wright will be working under the guidance of head coach Anil Kumble in IPL 2021. Speaking about the Australian's inclusion in the support staff, Anil Kumble said:

"He brings in a great deal of experience and will definitely help strengthen our team. We look forward to working with him this edition of the IPL."

Apart from Damien Wright and Anil Kumble, the Punjab Kings' support staff includes assistant coach Andy Flower, batting coach Wasim Jaffer and fielding coach Jonty Rhodes.

Punjab Kings hoping for a change of fortunes

Previously known as the Kings XI Punjab, the management decided to rechristen the franchise as the Punjab Kings just a few months ahead of IPL 2021. The Punjab Kings also made some great additions to their squad in the IPL auction held in February.

After finishing as runners-up in 2014, the Punjab Kings haven't made it to the playoffs in the last six years. The team finished in the 8th position in 2015 and 2016 were 5th in the 2017 edition of the tournament.

Their performances dipped again in 2018, where they dropped to 7th place in the points table before finishing 6th the following two seasons.

The KL-Rahul led side will be hoping to give a better account of themselves in IPL 2021. With the inclusion of Damien Wright as the team's bowling coach, the Punjab Kings will be hoping that they can churn out better results in the upcoming tournament.