Former India cricketer Bharat Arun will join Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as their bowling coach in the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). Arun was the bowling coach of the Indian national team since 2014 and played a key role in helping team India form a formidable fast-bowling attack which troubled batters across the world.
Making the announcement of his appointment, Venky Mysore, CEO & MD of KKR said, "We are very excited to have someone of the calibre of Bharat Arun joining us as our bowling coach. He will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to KKR’s strong support staff. We are delighted to welcome him to the Knight Riders family.”
Head Coach Brendon McCullum was also elated with the addition of Arun as he said, "A warm welcome to B Arun to the KKR coaching staff. With a strong and successful pedigree in the international game, I’m sure Arun will complement the current staff we have and I look forward to working with him. His experience at international level and the ability to give confidence and clarity to our bowling group will be important, as we attempt to quickly align a new group of players to the values and style of play for KKR".
The 59-year-old whose tenure ended with India's disappointing T20 World Cup 2021 campaign is also excited to join the two-time IPL champions, as he said, "I'm very excited and looking forward to becoming part of a highly successful franchise, such as the Knight Riders. I have admired the Knight Riders franchise for not only being very successful in the IPL & around the world in T20 leagues but also for the way it is very professionally run.”
As a player, Arun represented India in two Tests and four ODIs and was a very successful domestic player for Tamil Nadu. He started his coaching career with the Tamil Nadu domestic team and became the chief bowling coach at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. He then took over as head coach of the India Under-19 squad, and under him, Unmukt Chand-led India won the U19 World Cup 2012 in Australia.
The two-time IPL champions haven’t had the best seven years. Having won the IPL in 2012 and 2014, KKR would surely want to turn things around after a comprehensive loss to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2021 final.
