5 coaches who have been a failure in the IPL

The role of a head coach is a very important position in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Apart from having to get the desired results on the pitch, they have to successfully integrate the Indian domestic players and the international players and establish a soothing team environment for the players to succeed. They don’t have a lot of ‘coaching’ to do, but they have to overcome a lot of cultural and regional barriers and establish a rapport between the players.They also have to decide the team structure and formation because of the huge number of players at their disposal and sometimes, they also have to take tough decisions like dropping established international stars because of team composition rules.Stephen Fleming, Trevor Bayliss and Shane Warne are the most successful coaches in the IPL, having not only won the tournament but also set up a solid foundation for their respective franchisees. However, there have been many coaches who have failed in their role and have been sacked or have resigned.We take a look at 5 coaches who have been a failure in the IPL.

#1 Geoff Marsh

Team: Pune Warriors India

Year(s): 2011-13

Sahara Pune Warriors announced former Australian opener Geoff Marsh as their head coach and ex-England all-rounder Dermot Reeve as the assistant coach for their first IPL season in 2011. Team owner Subrata Roy said that he had looked into the credentials of eight coaches before finalising the two based on their achievements as players and their coaching abilities.

Expectations were high from Geoff Marsh. However, he had a disastrous three years with the Pune team. The team finished second last in 2011 and 2013 and last in 2012. Overall, the team played 46 matches, out of which they won 12 and lost 33. Despite lots of international stars and marquee Indian players like Yuvraj Singh and Sourav Ganguly, Pune were never able to challenge for the play-off spot and were part of a 11-match losing streak in 2012 and a 9-match losing streak in 2013. Their withdrawal from the IPL ended Geoff Marsh’s misery.

#2 John Buchanan

Team: Kolkata Knight Riders

Year(s):2008-09

John Buchanan had a controversial, unsuccessful stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from 2008 to 2009. The highly acclaimed Australian coach’s strategies and vision did not fall into line with KKR’s owners and operating officers and his spat with Kolkata legend Sourav Ganguly did not help his cause.

He advised Ganguly to quit after IPL 2008 and adopted a multiple captain theory for IPL 2009, with multiple captains for the same match according to the situation. This did not go well with the players and KKR suffered the worst season in the history of the franchise.

They finished at the bottom of the table with three wins and ten losses including a string of nine successive defeats. Buchanan's theoretical coaching style and innovations brought criticism and his vision for KKR did not bring the results that were necessary. He was eventually sacked and replaced by Dav Whatmore after season two of the IPL.

#3 Venkatesh Prasad

Team: Royal Challengers Bangalore

Year(s): 2008

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) appointed Venkatesh Prasad as head coach and Martin Crowe as chief cricketing officer before the start of IPL 2008. It proved to be a bitter campaign for the Royal Challengers, with Crowe taking accountability and eventually resigning. The team won only 4 matches in the season, losing 10 matches and finishing second from bottom in the table.

Charu Sharma, the CEO of the franchise, was sacked midway through the tournament. Prasad, however, was spared the sack after he publicly apologised for the team's failure. There was widespread frustration at the composition of the team and the selection of players, with many of the fans calling the team a ‘Test XI’. The team appointed Ray Jennings to replace Prasad from IPL 2009 onwards.

#4 Geoff Lawson

Team: Kochi Tuskers Kerala

Year(s): 2011

Former Australian fast bowler and ex-Pakistan coach, Geoff Lawson was appointed as the head coach of the now defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK) in 2011. Lawson was reportedly given the job after a lot of deliberation and discussion amongst the co-owners of KTK.

Lawson, along with captain Mahela Jayawardene, were criticized for their team selection and the off-field controversies surrounding the franchise affected the performance on the field. They had a severe shortage of quality players in the latter stages of the tournament due to injuries and international commitments and KTK did not qualify for the playoffs, finishing with 6 wins and 8 losses in their campaign. That proved to be the only IPL season they were part of and proved to be the end of Lawson’s coaching career in the IPL.

#5 Shaun Pollock

Team: Mumbai Indians

Year(s): 2009

Shaun Pollock, former South African fast bowler was appointed as head coach of Mumbai Indians (MI) after a dismal performance from the team in the first edition of the IPL under Lalchand Rajput. Pollock had earlier led Mumbai Indians in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh and he decided to continue his association with the team as a coach. MI struggled in the 2009 season as well, winning just five matches from a total of 14.

They struggled to put up consistent performances during the season despite the signing of JP Duminy and the return of Lasith Malinga. Mumbai finished in seventh place in the league table and Pollock was replaced by Robin Singh as head coach for the 2010 season. Pollock, however, continued his association with MI as a bowling coach.