Sairaj Bahutule, a seasoned coach and former India cricket player, was confirmed by the Indian Premier League team Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Wednesday as the team’s new spin bowling coach in advance of the forthcoming season.
Bahutule takes over for Sunil Joshi, who held the position from 2023 to 2025.
Being a seasoned player in the top division and a well-respected cricket coach, Sairaj Bahutule contributes years of experience. In his past coaching positions, he worked with domestic teams including Kerala, Gujarat, Vidarbha, Bengal, and the Rajasthan Royals of the Indian Premier League, concentrating on nurturing new players and refining bowling tactics for all formats.
Bahutule received a hearty welcome from Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon, who stated,
We would like to express our profound gratitude to Sunil Joshi for his years of devoted dedication and support of the Punjab Kings. Looking ahead, we are excited to have Sairaj Bahutule join our coaching group. Our team will benefit greatly from Sairaj’s in-depth knowledge of the game, especially his vast background in developing domestic bowlers and overseeing strategy. His experience is exactly what we need to create a solid and unified bowling unit for the upcoming season.
Sairaj Bahutule expressed his enthusiasm for joining the team as well, saying,
“I’m thrilled to be coaching spin bowling for Punjab Kings in the 2018 IPL season. I can see that this team has enormous potential since they play a distinct style of cricket. I’m excited to work with them to hone their abilities and help them achieve greater things since they have a lot of gifted players.”
A major step toward bolstering the core unit with strategic knowledge in front of the player auction and the forthcoming season is the hiring. Notably, an official confirmation from the BCCI is still pending, although some reports have indicated that the IPL 2026 mini auctions will take place in December 2025.
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