Sairaj Bahutule Joins Punjab Kings as Spin Bowling Coach for IPL 2026

Punjab Kings (PBKS) have named former India player Sairaj Bahutule as their new spin bowling coach ahead of the IPL 2026 season. He replaces Sunil Joshi, who was the team's spin coach from 2023 to 2025.

Joshi recently left PBKS to take up the role of bowling coach at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Bahutule also served as the bowling coach at CoE. He held the position from November 2021 to January 2025 but left to join former National Cricket Academy (now CoE) head Rahul Dravid at the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

After just one season, Bahutule has left RR and joined PBKS. His move might be linked to Dravid leaving Rajasthan’s coaching staff. At PBKS, he will work with another cricket legend, Ricky Ponting, who is the team’s head coach.

Sairaj Bahutule Appointed PBKS Spin Bowling Coach for IPL 2026

Bahutule has plenty of coaching experience. He worked with Kerala in 2014 and Bengal in 2015, and he was with RR from 2018 to 2021. He also coached the India Emerging Team to an Asia Cup win and was Team India’s bowling coach in the last two Under-19 World Cups.

“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,” Bahutule said after joining PBKS. 

Punjab Kings Coaching Staff – IPL 2026

Position	Coach
Head Coach	Ricky Ponting
Assistant Coach	Brad Haddin
Fast Bowling Coach	James Hopes
Spin Bowling Coach	Sairaj Bahutule
Assistant Bowling Coach	Trevor Gonsalves

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