Wasim Jaffer tipped as head coach of Punjab men’s senior team

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, July 29

The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) is all set to appoint former international player Wasim Jaffer, a known figure in the cricket’s domestic circuit, as the new head coach of the Punjab men’s senior team, claimed highly placed sources.

Last November, the Punjab team ended their 30-year-old trophy drought by winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on their home turf. As Punjab’s former coach Avishkar Salvi set a new standard for the squad, the PCA management was looking for a perfect replacement to make a big impact on the domestic circuit.

“He is among the front-runners for the post. The official announcement will be made anytime soon. There were around 45 applications, which featured some significant names, including a former Australian international player who had also coached the Pakistan team,” confirmed a highly placed source.

The source added, “Salvi joined the Indian women’s cricket team as the bowling coach. Jaffer, who is very well aware about the domestic demands, will be his perfect replacement.” Before Salvi, the likes of Vikram Rathour and Surendra Bhave (also from Maharashtra) had coached the Punjab side.

Jaffer has played 31 Tests and two ODIs for India and served as the batting coach of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He had also coached Bangladesh U-19 team. He had previously worked as the chief coach of Uttarakhand and Odisha.

While making his presence felt in the domestic circuit, he showcased his capability in the 2008-09 Ranji season by scoring 1,260 runs, including a triple-century. He also captained Mumbai to their 38th (2008-09) and 39th (2009-10) Ranji title, and oversaw West Zone’s 16th Duleep Trophy success in the early 2010.

In 2022, Salvi took over the Punjab’s charge and the side made it to the knockouts of all three domestic tournaments in the 2022-23 season.

The lads reached the last four-stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and also made it to the quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Ranji Trophy. Last November, Punjab won the Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy by defeating Baroda at IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali.

Meanwhile, PCA general secretary Dilsher Khanna, who was manager of the Indian cricket team that won the T20 World Cup recently, said Punjab players were performing fairly well not only across all BCCI-affiliated tournaments, but also for the Indian team. “We have our players playing in the men and women Indian teams, BCCI T20 leagues (IPL and Women’s Premier League) and winning laurels at various platforms,” said 33-year-old Khanna, who had joined the state unit almost two years ago.

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