Hemang Badani named Southern Brave head coach, Ian Bell his deputy

Hemang Badani named Southern Brave head coach, Ian Bell his deputy

Southern Brave have appointed Hemang Badani as head coach of their men's team, with Ian Bell as his assistant for the upcoming season of The Hundred. This follows Bell's recent appointment as Badani's deputy at the Delhi Capitals in the IPL. DC's owners, GMR, acquired a 49% stake in Southern Brave in July 2023.

Badani took over at DC last season, where the team started strongly but fell short of the playoffs. With extensive franchise coaching experience, he has also worked with other GMR-owned teams in Major League Cricket (Seattle Orcas) and the ILT20 (Dubai Capitals).

Bell brings local expertise, having previously worked with England's U19 and Lions sides. The former England international also served as batting coach for Sri Lanka's Test team during their 2024 tour of England and had a brief stint with the New Zealand men's team ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Within The Hundred, he was previously assistant coach at Birmingham Phoenix.

Southern Brave were the inaugural Men's Hundred champions in 2021 and finished as runners-up in 2024, but last season they lost half their games and failed to reach the knockouts.