Sourav Ganguly has been appointed head coach of Pretoria Capitals, marking the former India captain's first venture into coaching, South Africa's SA20 franchise said.
The 53-year-old Ganguly replaces Jonathan Trott in the role, having already acted as the director of cricket for JSW Sports - the parent company of Pretoria Capitals - since last year. while former South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock takes on the role of assistant coach. "The Prince of Kolkata is all set to bring a royal flair to the Capitals camp! We are ecstatic to announce Sourav Ganguly as our new head coach," Pretoria Capitals posted on social media on Sunday.
Pretoria Capitals have had an uneven time in the tournament so far: they finished the first season at the top of the table in the group stage, before losing to Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the final.
In the two seasons since then - in 2023-24 and 2024-25 - they have faced more middling results, finishing in fifth position both times and failing to qualify for the playoffs. Pretoria Capitals will be hoping that their luck turns around with the new appointments. Their first point of focus will be the player auction on September 9, where Capitals will be looking to refresh their squad.
This will be Ganguly's first time as a head coach. For four years, between 2015 and 2019, he was the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal.
He joined Delhi Capitals as a mentor for the 2019 season, but left the franchise soon after to become the president of the BCCI.
In the time since then, his appointment as JSW's director of cricket last year moved him closer to a coaching role at the helm of one of their franchises, which also include Delhi Capitals in co-ownership with GMR in the IPL and WPL.
Ganguly, who retired from international cricket in 2008, transitioned from his playing career to cricket administration, serving as president of the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India from 2019 to 2022.
