IPL 2020: "Coaching is about trusting players, allowing them to make decisions" - Simon Katich 

Katich talked about his experience as a coach ahead of the Indian Premier League 2020.

Simon Katich | GettyRoyal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Simon Katich touched upon the difficult nature of his job, saying besides the competition around for coaching posts, the task requires able handling of players and empowering them to do well. 

Katich, the former Australia Test opener, who was previously part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coaching staff, had been roped in by RCB after another disappointing campaign last season in a restructuring that also saw Mike Hesson come on board as Director of Cricket for the Virat Kohli-led side. 

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Ahead of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in UAE, Katich talked about his role and why it isn't easy at all in a video posted by the RCB on Twitter. 

"Coaching can be tough, there are a lot of guys who want to do it and there are limited spots," he said. "In a way, it is not that dissimilar with when you are playing. When you are playing, there are a lot of guys who want to play at your spot and coaching is not that different really."

"When you are coaching, you are worried for the whole squad and you want to get the best out of everyone."

"Coaching is about trusting the players and allowing them to make their own decisions," Katich added. "When I was a player, I always tried to be self-sufficient and if coaches and mentors can help you do that, that's great. Ultimately you are out there on your own as a player."

Katich also said he hadn't really planned to become a coach of one of the IPL teams. 

"It happened back in 2016. An opportunity came during that phase only to be an assistant coach with KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) for the 2016 season."

"It happened by chance, I did not plan on going into the IPL as a coach. The opportunity was great to feature in such a competition. I was fortunate enough to play the IPL in the first couple of seasons back when it started," he added.

Royal Challengers Bangalore kickstart their campaign on September 21 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Dubai. 

(Inputs from ANI)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 14 Sep, 2020

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