Coaching In IPL Is More About Man Management, Feels Kolkata Knight Riders Head Sir Chandrakant Pandit

Kolkata: Coaching in domestic level and Indian Premier League is totally a different ball game. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Chandrakant Pandit believes man management is very important when it comes to coaching an IPL team.

Coming into limelight after he won his sixth Ranji Trophy as a coach, Pandit was roped in to head KKR after Brendon McCullum took England Test team’s job. The 60-year-old feels including the players in strategies and planning is important as a coach in IPL.

“At this level, a lot of players are experienced and have big reputations, so spending some time with them and including them in strategies and planning is important as a coach,” Pandit said just before KKR’s home fixture against defending champions Gujarat Titans.

Pandit said coaching a in domestic cricket allows him to interact with the players for a whole year. “However, in domestic cricket we get about 12 months with the players, and we get a greater chance to interact with them.

“Here however there are back-to-back games, and of course there’s traveling and other commitments. So I feel managing the team is the most important,” he added. In his maiden stint in IPL so far, Pandit guided KKR to just three wins from eight games.

Reacting to KKR’s chances of making to the IPL 2023 playoffs, Pandit doesn’t want to look to far and focus on one match at a time. “The destination is very far for us in this season. We still have six matches and it is important that we win all six of these matches.

“I won’t say it is difficult but we have to pull up our socks and fight till the last match. (On difference in coaching domestic and IPL,” he added. He also hoped that Andre Russell will come good soon.

“Andre is the kind of guy that can turn a game at any moment, so we are waiting for that so that he can fulfill his role. Hopefully, he will come good but it is important to say that at this moment everybody will have suggestions on Russell but it is important we stick to the plans,” he signed off.