3 players from KKR's IPL 2008 squad who are now coaches

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are one of the three franchises to have won multiple Indian Premier League (IPL) titles. The franchise won their first title in the 2012 season and added a second two years later.

However, they had to strive for success, especially after getting off to a poor start in the initial seasons of the competition. KKR had a stunning start to the IPL after a historic win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their very first match.

The team could not go on to maintain that level of performance and ultimately finished sixth in the points table. KKR arguably reached rock bottom when they finished at the bottom of the table in the subsequent edition in South Africa. They could only muster three wins and ended the campaign with only seven points.

Despite their shortcomings, the batch of two-time winners remains special. The squad had some huge names, who went on to continue their journey even after they ended their playing careers.

On that note, here are three players from the KKR's IPL 2008 squad who have now gone on to become coaches.

#1 Ricky Ponting

The former Australian skipper was roped in by KKR during the inaugural auction, but surprisingly only for $400,000. He was with the side for only a single season, and his next IPL stint came with the Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2013.

After relieving the captaincy midway through the season, the franchise eventually ended up winning under the guidance of Rohit Sharma. Following that, he was appointed by the champions in a coaching capacity and guided them to the title in 2015.

Ponting was part of the MI coaching staff until 2016, after which he had a brief stint as Australia's coach on an interim basis before joining the Delhi franchise. Under his coaching, the Delhi Capitals (DC) made it to the IPL finals for the first time in 2020. He is still part of the franchise as they continue their quest for a maiden title.

#2 Brendon McCullum

The former explosive New Zealand opener set the IPL alight with his stunning unbeaten 158 on the opening day. McCullum was one of the major attractions in the league as well as among KKR's most important players.

He had two separate stints with the franchise before assuming the role of head coach in 2019. Apart from KKR, he was also appointed head coach of their sister franchise, the Trinbago Knight Riders. The former Blackcaps skipper led the franchise to their fourth CPL title during the lockdown in 2020.

He guided KKR to the finals of the 2021 IPL as well from a near-impossible scenario and left the role after finishing seventh in the 2022 IPL season. He was roped in by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as the head coach for their Test team, which came across as a surprise to plenty.

However, McCullum has struck a chord with skipper Ben Stokes as the duo has transformed the team's approach completely. The aggressive brand of cricket has quickly gained a lot of admirers and a lot of success as well already.

#3 Sourav Ganguly

It was only fitting that the Prince of Kolkata represented KKR in the formative years of the league. He led KKR in the first season before being replaced by Brendon McCullum in 2009. He was once again the skipper of the team in 2010, but that marked his final year with the franchise as he joined the Pune franchise in 2011.

Ganguly's IPL career came to an end in 2012, when he then transitioned into coaching by adopting the role of advisor for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2019. His stint with DC came to an early end as he served as the BCCI President, but now, with no conflict of interest withholding him, he is back as DC's Director of Cricket.

Other candidates from the iconic 2008 batch like Umar Gul and David Hussey also serve as coaches. The former Pakistan pacer is the bowling coach of the Afghanistan national team while Hussey serves as KKR's chief mentor.

Who are some of the other members of the 2008 batch who could go on to become coaches in the future? Let us know what you think.