There have been many players in IPL who, after retirement, appeared as coaches in their own franchise or in some other team. But there have been very few coaches or mentors who have led the team to the IPL title in the first innings of their career as a player and in the second innings as a member of the coaching staff.
One such example was seen in the 17th season of IPL, where Gautam Gambhir, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to victory as captain in 2012 and 2014, won the third title with the franchise in the role of mentor. In this article, we will discuss those 5 legends who have won the IPL trophy as a player as well as a coach.
These 5 legends have won trophies as players and coaches/mentor in IPL
5. Lakshmipathy Balaji
Former Indian fast bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji started his IPL career playing for Chennai Super Kings and in 2010, when CSK won its first title, Balaji was also a part of the squad. After this, in 2011, Balaji became a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise and was a part of the title win in 2012.
After retiring from all forms of cricket in 2016, Balaji returned to his old franchise CSK as the bowling coach in 2018. He also won the IPL title as bowling coach with CSK in 2018 and 2021.
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4. Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting, who is currently playing the role of head coach in Delhi Capitals, started his IPL career as a player in 2008, playing for KKR. After this, in 2013, Ponting was included in their team by Mumbai Indians and given the command of the team. However, he left the captaincy midway through the season, after which Rohit Sharma took over the responsibility. Mumbai Indians won their first title in that season. After retiring from IPL, Ponting became the head coach of Mumbai Indians in 2015. In his very first stint as coach, Ponting led MI to its second title.
3. Ashish Nehra
Former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra represented 5 franchises in his IPL career. Nehra made his IPL debut in 2008 while playing for Mumbai Indians. At the same time, the right-arm fast bowler won the trophy for the first time in 2016 while being a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad, while in 2022 he won the title with Gujarat Titans in the role of head coach.
2. Dwayne Bravo
West Indies star all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has had an excellent IPL career as a player. Bravo won his first IPL title with CSK in 2011. After this, Bravo was a part of CSK’s winning team in 2018 and 2021 also. Bravo retired from the IPL in 2022 and returned as the bowling coach of the CSK team in the 16th season, replacing Balaji. In the same season, Chennai won its fifth title by defeating Gujarat Titans.
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1. Gautam Gambhir
The journey of former Kolkata Knight Riders captain and current mentor Gautam Gambhir in IPL has been quite spectacular. Gambhir played the initial season of IPL for his home team Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). After this he joined KKR team in 2011. Under Gambhir, KKR won their first trophy in 2012 by defeating defending champions CSK. After this, in 2014, under the leadership of Gambhir, Kolkata won the second IPL title by defeating Punjab Kings (earlier Kings XI Punjab).
Gambhir played his last IPL season for DC in 2018. From 2022 to 2023, Gambhir played the role of mentor in the Lucknow Super Giants team and then in 2024, he once again joined the KKR team as a mentor. Under his guidance, KKR won its third title after 10 years.
