Bollywood star Preity Zinta co-owned Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings (PBKS), on Thursday, confirmed the appointment of former India cricketer and experienced coach Sairaj Bahutule as the team’s new spin bowling coach ahead of the upcoming IPL 2026 season. Bahutule replaces Sunil Joshi, who served in the role, previously from 2023 to 2025.
Punjab Kings, led by Shreyas Iyer, reached the IPL 2025 final where they lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. It was the second time that PBKS had entered the IPL final.
Sairaj Bahutule brings in years of experience, having been a veteran of first-class cricket and a highly-regarded cricket coach. He has previously held coaching roles with domestic teams like Kerala, Gujarat, Vidharbha and Bengal, and IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, focusing on developing young talent and optimizing bowling strategies across formats.
Spin Bowling Coach, Sairaj Bahutule is now a ! pic.twitter.com/xBGvDCYvyF
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) October 23, 2025
Satish Menon, CEO of Punjab Kings extended a warm welcome to Bahutule and said, “We extend our sincere thanks to Sunil Joshi for his dedicated service and contribution to the Punjab Kings over the years. As we look forward, we are thrilled to welcome Sairaj Bahutule to our coaching staff. Sairaj’s deep understanding of the game, particularly his extensive experience in grooming domestic bowlers and managing strategy, will be invaluable to our side. His expertise aligns perfectly with our vision of building a strong and cohesive bowling unit for the season ahead.”
Bahutule also shared his excitement about joining the franchise and stated, “I’m really excited to join Punjab Kings as a spin bowling coach for the upcoming IPL season. This is a team that plays a different brand of cricket, and I can see the potential is massive. They have a bunch of talented players, and I’m looking forward to working with them to refine their skills and help them reach new heights.”
The appointment is a significant step in the direction of strengthening the core unit with strategic expertise ahead of the player auction and the upcoming season. Bahutule turned out for India in 2 Tests and 8 ODIs in his career.
The Mumbai leg-spinner claimed 630 wickets in first-class cricket in 188 matches and also claimed 197 wickets in List A matches. Former PBKS coach and India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi is expected to go back to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and join the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
“He has written to us about his unavailability for the coming season. He is a good guy and the franchise has a good equation with him. But we don’t want to come in the way of someone’s career growth,” a PBKS official was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz website.