Trevor Bayliss’ contract with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise – Punjab Kings is all set to end as the franchise is in search for an Indian option to take over the post. Bayliss had a two-year contract with Punjab Kings which has come to an end and the franchise is unlikely to renew it. He would now become the second Australian coach after Ricky Ponting  to move out from the elite coaching group in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

According to sources, PBKS are on the lookout for an Indian coach to guide the team. Whether they will ultimately choose an Indian coach remains to be seen. They are believed to be considering several options with one of them being Sanjay Bangar, who was previously the head coach of the franchise.

The Indian coaches are having a good time with their respective sides lately and the success of Rahul Dravid and his support staff with the Indian team and also the dynamic trio of Gambhir, Chandu Pandit and Nayar at the Kolkata Knight Riders has increased the demand for home coaches across IPL franchises. Royal Challengers Bangalore has also added  Dinesh Karthik in their support staff to bring in some Indian experience to their coaching set up.

Bayliss has worked with multiple IPL franchises in his coaching career which includes the Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Punjab Kings. The PBKS management is expected to take a final call on Bayliss post a review meeting of the last year’s performances. PBKS had a below par season in 2024 IPL and yet again failed to make it to the playoffs. PBKS is still a part of the undesirable list of teams failing to win even one IPL trophy.

Factually Bayliss’ T20 record across tournaments has been very poor during the last five years – be it with the Sunrisers, Sydney Thunder or with the Punjab Kings. The franchise has acknowledged that they have no issues or complains with the Aussies coaching style, but ultimately what matters is the result.  The ownership group continues to maintain that no decision has been taken yet.