Kolkata Knight Riders sacked controversial Australian coach John Buchanan after their poor performance in the recent Indian Premier League.
The Kolkata team finished last in the eight-team IPL in South Africa last month, losing 10 of their 14 league matches. It took KKR’s owners a little more than three weeks after the end of the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to make the decision. The instructions to let go off Mr Buchanan came from Mr Khan through an email communique. The actor is in the US where he is shooting for his next film.
The KKR franchise was bought for $75 million by SRK, Jai Mehta and Juhi Chawla. It was one of the only two teams that turned in a profit in the first season of the IPL. KKR has been the most-valued team of the IPL with a brand value of $42.1 million, according to UK-based consultancy Brand Finance.
Now Buchanan is set for a coaching role with England ahead of the Ashes series against Australia. Earlier Buchanan left the Australia job after the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies as elite cricket’s most successful coach, with a winning record of 70 percent after becoming national coach in 1999.