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Gary Kirsten has joined Delhi Daredevils as head coach, the IPL franchise tweeted on Tuesday. Kirsten is one of the most sought after coaches in the world, after leading both India and South Africa to No. 1 in the Test rankings. Daredevils had a horror run in the 2013 IPL, finishing bottom of the table.
"The #DelhiDaredevils is delighted to welcome @Gary_Kirsten as Head Coach. He will work with Team Mentor TA Sekar and Eric Simons," the franchise tweeted. "@Gary_Kirsten says the decision to join #delhidaredevils was an easy one. It will be his first experience with an @IPL team."
Kirsten played 101 Tests in an 11-year South Africa career and then, after retirement in 2004, he moved on to coaching, working with the Titans franchise as a batting consultant. In December 2007, he was named India coach. After the team's success in the Test arena, his three-and-a-half-year stint with India ended with the 2011 World Cup win. He then returned home and took up the South Africa job. In August 2012, South Africa beat England in England to displace them as the No. 1 ranked Test team, and later in the year they beat Australia in Australia to firmly establish themselves at the top of the rankings. He stepped down as South Africa coach at the end of July this year, saying he would like to spend more time with his family than working year-round with an international team allowed.
Eric Simons, who was named Daredevils' coach ahead of the 2012 season, will continue to work with the team, assisting Kirsten.
Daredevils had a very poor last season, winning only three games out of 16. They were plagued by injury, with Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder missing the entire season and Virender Sehwag sitting out several games. In a bid to lift chins, they brought in Viv Richards as a mentor towards the end of the season.
The franchise will be hoping Kirsten's appointment, ahead of the big shuffle in 2014, when most of the players are expected to go back into the auction, will help the team make a fresh start.
