IPL 2025 Mega Auction: A Look at Major Support Staff Changes Across Franchises
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is gearing up for a major overhaul ahead of the 2025 season, with the fifth mega auction set to take place on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This marks the return of the auction to the Middle East after its debut outside India in Dubai last year. While mini auctions allow teams to make minor adjustments to their squads, mega auctions are a whole different ball game, offering franchises the chance to retain only their core players and rebuild their teams from scratch.
The upcoming overhaul isn’t just focused on the playing roster, as several teams have also made significant changes to their support staff, including new head coach appointments. Here’s a breakdown of the major updates from each team ahead of the 2025 IPL mega auction:
Mumbai Indians
The five-time IPL champions have welcomed Mahela Jayawardene back as head coach, replacing Mark Boucher after two seasons. Jayawardene, who previously led MI from 2017 to 2022, had taken on a role as global head of cricket before returning to coach the team. Under Boucher, MI made it to the Qualifier 2 in IPL 2023, but a disappointing 2024 saw them finish at the bottom of the table. Jayawardene will be aiming to revive the team’s fortunes.
Rajasthan Royals
After guiding India to a historic T20 World Cup victory, Rahul Dravid has returned to Rajasthan Royals as their new head coach, replacing Kumar Sangakkara. Dravid, who had captained the franchise towards the end of his playing career, will now be hoping to lead them to their second IPL title.
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals have undergone a significant overhaul, not only releasing captain Rishabh Pant but also making major changes in their coaching staff. Hemang Badani has replaced Ricky Ponting as head coach, while Venugopal Rao has been appointed Director of Cricket, taking over from Sourav Ganguly. Additionally, former India seamer Munaf Patel joins as the team’s new bowling coach.
Punjab Kings
Ricky Ponting has joined Punjab Kings as their new head coach, replacing Trevor Bayliss, who was let go after two underwhelming seasons. Ponting, who had spent seven seasons with Delhi Capitals, will be aiming to bring stability to Punjab Kings, who have struggled with consistency in recent years.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Chandrakant Pandit will continue as head coach for the defending champions, but KKR has parted ways with former captain Gautam Gambhir, who mentored the team during their successful 2024 season. Gambhir has now joined the Indian team as head coach. KKR has appointed Dwayne Bravo, former Chennai Super Kings all-rounder, as the new assistant coach and to look after their franchises in other leagues, including the Trinbago Knight Riders.
Lucknow Super Giants
Lucknow Super Giants have also seen a shift in their support staff, with bowling coach Morne Morkel joining the Indian team as their bowling coach. Zaheer Khan has been appointed as the new mentor, a role vacated by Gambhir. Zaheer will also oversee the franchise’s bowling department following Morkel’s departure.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
RCB have signed Dinesh Karthik as their batting coach and mentor after his retirement as a player. The franchise has retained Andy Flower as head coach and Mo Bobat as Director of Cricket.
Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans have added Parthiv Patel as their new assistant and batting coach. Patel, a former IPL player, joins after a stint as a scout for Mumbai Indians and coaching roles in the ILT20 with MI Emirates. This marks his first coaching position in the IPL.
Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad
As of now, both Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad have not made any changes to their support staff for the 2025 season. Stephen Fleming continues as the head coach of CSK, while Daniel Vettori remains in charge at Sunrisers Hyderabad.
With these changes, the 2025 IPL season promises to be full of fresh strategies and revamped coaching dynamics.
