His role is one of the most rare ones in world cricket.
The current week is set to witness some intense action with the high-octane Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) kicking off on November 22 while the mega-auctions for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) season have also been set around the same time, November 24-25.
Interestingly, a key member of the Australian cricket team will have to briefly relinquish his duties in the BGT in a bid to fulfil his responsibilities in the IPL.
Former New Zealand captain and spinner Daniel Vettori, who works as a bowling coach for the Australian national side is also the head coach of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL.
Speaking about the development, an Australia team spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo,
“We are very supportive of Dan’s role as Head Coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Dan will complete final preparation for the first Test before attending the IPL auction. He will then be with team for the remainder of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.”
The 45-year-old is among the few coaches in global cricket who simultaneously serve as a permanent assistant coach for an international team, a full-time head coach for an IPL franchise, and the head coach of the Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred.
Daniel Vettori has served as Australia’s bowling coach across all formats since 2022, working alongside his long-time friend Andrew McDonald and it is understandable that Cricket Australia (CA) values his contributions highly, granting him the flexibility to pursue franchise coaching opportunities alongside his national team commitments.
In recent years, Vettori has occasionally stepped away from international series due to franchise commitments, with replacement coaches stepping in for him. However, this will mark the first instance of him leaving midway through a Test to participate in the IPL auction. Last year, he managed to balance his duties, completing Australia’s series against Pakistan before travelling to India for the auction between matches.
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Cricket Australia has also begun searching for a full-time national pace bowling coach who can step in during tours Vettori is unable to attend.
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