Australia’s bowling coach Daniel Vettori will temporarily leave the team during the first Test against India in Perth to attend the IPL auction in Saudi Arabia as the head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Test match begins on November 22, while the IPL auction will take place in Jeddah on November 24-25.
Vettori’s departure has raised concerns as he is one of the few coaches in world cricket who holds a permanent assistant role with an international team while also being the full-time head coach of an IPL franchise and a Hundred side. He has been Australia’s bowling coach for all three formats since 2022, working under Andrew McDonald.
Cricket Australia has expressed support for Vettori’s role with Sunrisers Hyderabad, allowing him to complete final preparations for the first Test before attending the auction. He will then rejoin the team for the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The prioritization of the IPL auction over a Test match highlights the growing influence of franchise cricket. Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer, who are employed as commentators with Channel Seven, will also miss part of the Test to attend the auction as head coaches of Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, respectively.
Vettori has previously missed certain series due to his franchise commitments, but this will be the first time he leaves midway through a Test to attend the IPL auction. CA is advertising for a new full-time national pace bowling coach to fill in for Vettori on future tours.
On Monday, Vettori worked closely with Australia’s bowling unit at their first day of training at the WACA ground. He also threw left-arm orthodox deliveries to the batters in preparation for facing Ravindra Jadeja in the Perth Test.
Australia had two consultants working with their main coaching team on Monday: former Australia batter Michael Hussey and former Glamorgan allrounder Jim Allenby. Both men will be with the team all week in the lead-up to the Test match.
Fielding coach Andre Borovec and stand-in T20 captain Josh Inglis will join the Test squad in Perth after the conclusion of the T20I series against Pakistan in Hobart. National development coach Lachlan Stevens will also provide additional support for the team when Vettori departs.
