IPL 2025: 5 Overseas Coaches who have played Season 1 of the Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is now 18 years old and so many things have happened between the first season in 2008 and the latest one in 2025. The biggest of all the changes is that not one or two, but a total of seven coaches in IPL 2025, actually played the first season of the cash-rich league in 2008.
But amongst those seven, there are two who played just the first season and then there are two who played only in the first season and one who played four games in the first season and then returned five years later to play only six more games.
These coaches, otherwise known for their brilliant Test and ODI games, were also part of the first IPL season as players. Here are five coaches who played in the inaugural season of the IPL and have been since then associated with the biggest cricket league as modern-day veterans.
1) Justin Langer:
Justin Langer, currently the head coach of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in this year’s edition, was bought by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the inaugural edition of the IPL as a player. However, he was unable to play any game at all.
Langer took up the coaching job in the IPL from the 2024 season with the LSG franchise and has been proving his skills since then.
2) Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming, the current coach of the Chennai Super Kings has played for them in the first season of the IPL.
He was bought in the first ever auction by the CSK, and he played around 10 matches for the team. Fleming was appointed as the head coach in 2009 and has remained in that position till now, taking his team to the title victory for a record five times.
3) Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting, coaching the Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 season has previously coached the Delhi Capitals and the Mumbai Indians too.
However, Ponting’s first association with the IPL came in the inaugural season itself, when he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders as a player. He featured in only four matches and scored around 39 runs. When Ponting did return to the IPL in 2013 as a part of the MI squad, he had to step away from the captaincy midway, making way for Rohit Sharma to lead the side from there.
4) Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene’s IPL career as a player began with the Punjab Kings in 2008. He subsequently played for Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Delhi Daredevils too.
Jayawardene had served as the head coach of Mumbai Indians from 2017 to 2022, during which the team won three IPL titles. The Sri Lankan star is the present head coach of the Mumbai Indians for the 2025 IPL season, after being reappointed to the position by replacing Mark Boucher.
5) Daniel Vettori
Last but not the least is the New Zealand veteran, Daniel Vettori. He made his debut in the inaugural season for the Delhi Daredevils from 2008 to 2010. He also played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore after being picked in the auction and was the team’s captain in 2011.
Daniel was the head coach of RCB from 2014 to 2018 for consecutive seasons. In August 2023, Vettori was appointed as the head coach of the Sunrisers Hyderabad and continues with that role till today.
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