Ganguly scalps yet another coach

Sourav Ganguly claimed yet another coach, with the Kolkata Knight Riders dumping their controversial Australian coach John Buchanan.

KKR top brass refused to confirm the development but sources claimed that the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side informed the coach that his services were not needed. Buchanan had one more year of his three-year term to go. Coincidentally, Buchanan is the third coach who has lost his job after falling foul of Ganguly. While Dada got along just fine with John Wright, the New Zealander quit the post after just one term. He wrote in his autobiography later that he had a tiff with Dada.

Greg Chappell, the abrasive Aussie who dethroned Ganguly, lost his job in controversial circumstances. Buchanan had proposed a four-captain theory and gradually eased Dada out as the captain of KKR for the IPL second edition. Sources said Buchanan’s replacement could be from among Dave Whatmore, Steve Waugh and Lalchand Rajput.

Asked about the development, the KKR chief executive officer, Mr Joy Bhattacharya, said, “At the moment, I cannot confirm the development.” Actor Shah Rukh Khan’s media manager declined to comment, saying, “We don’t have any such reports. Both Shah Rukh Khan and (co-owner) Jay Mehta are out of station, so it’s difficult to comment now.”

The Buchanan chapter was closed soon after he landed a role with the English and Wales Cricket Board. “He (Buchanan) is joining the Englishmen for their Ashes preparation on June 28, which could develop into a full-time post,” the insider said. “Buchanan was never in Shah Rukh’s good books, especially after the team's disastrous show in South Africa, the sources said.