Ganguly, Donald join Pune Warriors coaching staff

 

Sourav Ganguly and Allan Donald have been added to the Pune Warriors coaching staff ahead of the fifth season of the IPL. Donald will be the team's bowling coach, while Ganguly will play a dual role as player and mentor. The Warriors will be without a head coach - Geoff Marsh left to coach Sri Lanka - and Donald and Ganguly will join Paddy Upton, the mental and conditioning coach, and Praveen Amre, the batting coach.

Ganguly, who joined the Warriors midway through last season as a replacement for Ashish Nehra, has been retained by the franchise for $400,000. That leaves the Warriors with $1.6 million to spend in the February 4 auction.

Donald, who is the South Africa bowling coach, will be available during the IPL, since South Africa do not have any international cricket in April and May. The Warriors are keen to get Donald to come to India to conduct a bowling camp with their bowlers before South Africa leave for their tour of New Zealand on February 9. The camp will have to be held sometime between January 23, when South Africa's home series against Sri Lanka ends, and February 4, when the Duleep Trophy starts.

The Warriors had a poor first season in the IPL in 2011, finishing second last in the table. Ganguly, who went unsold in the initial auction, was unable to make an impact after joining the Warriors, with a highest score of 32 in four innings, but sees his role expanded this year. The $400,000 paid to retain Ganguly was the same as his base price in the 2011 auction.