At KKR, first comes coach, then the captain!

Kolkatau00a0Knight Riders are truly going the football way where the manager (coach in cricket's case) is more important than the captain. A press release from the franchise last night stated that the captain will only be chosen after the team bosses decide on the coach. This means Sourav Ganguly will still have to wait for a confirmation on his reappointment as skipper.

"Once the coach has been appointed, the management will then select the best combination of players to form a competitive team for IPL 2010. Once this team has been decided, a captain will be announced for the next season," the release said.

It is only right to ensure that the coach and captain work in total harmony if the team is to improve on its showing in this year's Indian Premier League. It is learnt that New Zealander John Wright has been spoken to but the franchise has not yet ruled out going in for an Indian coach. Chandrakant Pandit could well be the one if Wright does not get the job or is not keen on returning to India. Sources say that Ganguly will captain the team for the next IPL since KKR don't have too many captaincy candidates. His presence on the throne makes good business sense too. Also, the Kolkata outfit will be better accepted at the Eden Gardens if Ganguly gets his job back after a terrible IPL under Brendon McCullum, who led in South Africa.u00a0

It is to be seen whether KKR will still aim to set up a virtual academy as expressed by co-owner Shah Rukh Khan in this paper before the last Indian Premier League.

That, according to SRK, was one of the reasons for a bulky support staff which included former coach John Buchanan's son Michael as strength training coach, assistant coach Matthew Mott, bowling coach Andy Bichel, wicketkeeping coach Wade Seccombe, assistant coach Brad Murphy, trainer Adrian Le Roux, physiotherapist Andrew Leipus and fielding coach Jon Deeble.