On Thursday, October 23, Punjab Kings (PBKS) confirmed that Sairaj Bahutule has joined them as their new spin bowling coach ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The 51-year-old has replaced
Sunil Joshi following his release by Rajasthan Royals (RR) recently, where he fulfilled the similar role but the results in the 2025 season were far from satisfactory, finishing in ninth place in the 10-team competition earlier this year.
Notably, Sairaj Bahutule has to take the legacy of Sunil Joshi at PBKS forward after the latter helped improve the team by leaps in bounds during his stay as their spin bowling coach from 2023 to 2025. It is important to note that he has a lot of experience in the coaching scene, having worked with a lot of young and experienced bowlers at Bengal, Kerala, Gujarat, and Vidarbha in Indian domestic cricket.
In his official statement, the Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon acknowledged the contributions of Sunil Joshi to the franchise before welcoming Sairaj Bahutule to the setup as their new spin bowling coach. He was quoted as saying, “We extend our sincere thanks to Sunil Joshi for his dedicated service and contribution to the Punjab Kings over the years. As we look forward, we are thrilled to welcome Sairaj Bahutule to our coaching staff. His deep understanding of the game, particularly his extensive experience in grooming domestic bowlers and managing strategy, will be invaluable to our side.”
I'm really excited to join Punjab Kings as a spin bowling coach for the upcoming IPL season: Sairaj Bahutule
The first comments from Sairaj Bahutule after joining PBKS read, “I'm really excited to join Punjab Kings as a spin bowling coach for the upcoming IPL season. This is a team that plays a different brand of cricket, and I can see the potential is massive. They have a bunch of talented players, and I'm looking forward to working with them to refine their skills and help them reach new heights.”
At PBKS, Sairaj Bahutule will join hands with head coach Ricky Ponting, whose coaching staff already has assistant coaches Brad Haddin and James Hopes, and they took the franchise to the final of the IPL 2025 earlier this year.
