NEWS
Follow UsFormer India and Mumbai cricketer Wasim Jaffer will serve as the head coach of the Punjab state side, as confirmed by Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) secretary Dilsher Khanna confirmed.
Jaffer has not been officially appointed the head coach, yet, but Khanna told Times of India that the two parties have already struck a deal, with the former India opener having already accepted PCA’s offer.
"Yes, Wasim will be our head coach this season. We've communicated to him that he's our choice for the Punjab head coach's role and he has accepted it,” Khanna told TOI.
“He's a very well-known former India cricketer and brings loads of experience to the table, both as a player and a coach. I'm sure that he'll do a good job for us.”
Jaffer will be taking over the reins from another Mumbaikar, Aavishkar Salvi, who led Punjab to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last season.
“We won the Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the first time ever last season, and we are looking to build on that success, go further and improve our cricket even more,” Khanna added.
The departing Salvi has joined the BCCI's National Cricket Academy (NCA) and is also the incumbent bowling coach of the Indian women's team. Jaffer is believed to have pipped former Australian quick Shaun Tait for the role.
The 46-year-old has ample coaching experience, having served as the head coach of both Odisha and Uttarakhand. He also served as the batting consultant for Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings (PBKS) for three seasons (2020, 2021 & 2023).
In 2022, he served as the batting consultant for Bangladesh's Under-19 and high-performance team ('A' side).
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