Is Sunil Joshi Set to Become the CoE Spin Bowling Coach?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Sunil Joshi is set to become the spin bowling coach at CoE.
- He has extensive experience in coaching at domestic and international levels.
- His role will involve mentoring key Indian spinners.
- Joshi has a history of contributing to Indian cricket as a player and coach.
- He aims to strengthen India's spin bowling pipeline.
New Delhi, Oct 6 (NationPress) Sunil Joshi, a former left-arm spinner for India, is poised to assume the role of spin bowling coach at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) after parting ways with the Punjab Kings in the IPL.
Joshi, who played for India in 15 Test matches and 69 ODIs from 1996 to 2002, has also been a key player on the senior men’s selection committee and briefly held the position of panel chairman. Prior to IPL 2023, he was part of the Punjab Kings coaching team focusing on spin bowling.
“Candidates like Nooshin Al Khadeer, Rakesh Dhruv, Pritam Gandhe, and Saurasish Lahiri were in the running, but Joshi's extensive coaching experience across domestic, international, and IPL teams—coupled with his background as a Test player—made him the preferred choice for this position,” sources revealed.
“Upon receiving the offer from the CoE, Joshi stepped down from his role with the Punjab Kings, a decision that became public on Monday afternoon. He is set to join the CoE soon,” the sources informed IANS.
Recently, Joshi served as the bowling coach for the India 'A' team during their red-ball and white-ball series against Australia 'A' in Lucknow and Kanpur. At the CoE, he will take the place of Sairaj Bahutule, who departed to join the Rajasthan Royals as their spin bowling coach ahead of IPL 2025.
Joshi has also coached Uttar Pradesh in the domestic circuit and acted as a spin consultant for the Bangladesh men's team. His new role at the CoE will be instrumental in nurturing India's spin bowling talent across various levels.
Operating out of Bengaluru, Joshi is expected to closely collaborate with national team spinners such as Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Ravi Bishnoi. He will also mentor players from India A, U-19, and top domestic spin bowling performers.
His duties at the CoE will include player development across all levels, adhering to the coaching mandate. He will also work alongside national selectors to identify talent, ensuring the strength of India's spin bowling pipeline.