Bengaluru, August 14: Former Indian fast bowler Vinay Kumar has been appointed as the head coach of the Karnataka senior men’s cricket team for the upcoming 2026-27 domestic season.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) made this announcement on Thursday.
The 42-year-old Vinay will take over from Yere Goud, who has joined the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru as a batting coach. Former Karnataka batsman Deepak Chougule has been included in Vinay Kumar’s support staff as the fielding coach.
This will be Vinay’s first term as head coach of Karnataka. Previously, he coached the Hubli Tigers in the Maharaja T20 Trophy. He has also served as the bowling coach for MI Emirates in the ILT20. Vinay Kumar retired from all formats of cricket in 2021 and has since worked as a talent scout for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and as a commentator for Star Sports Kannada.
Vinay Kumar has played 31 ODIs, 9 T20Is, and 1 Test match for India. He was part of the IPL-winning teams with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 and Mumbai Indians in 2015 and 2017. Vinay holds the record for the most wickets by a fast bowler in Ranji Trophy history, with 442 wickets, placing him fourth on the all-time list of India’s premier red-ball tournament.
In his first-class career, Vinay played 139 matches, taking 504 wickets at an average of 22.44. As captain, he led Karnataka to an unprecedented “double-trouble,” winning the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Irani Cup in consecutive seasons of 2013/14 and 2014/15.
Karnataka finished as the runner-up in the Ranji Trophy last season and is set to begin its 2026/27 season against Andhra on October 11.
Ganesh Satish, a former batsman for Karnataka and Vidarbha, has been appointed as the coach of the Under-23 men’s team. Former player Kunal Kapoor will coach the Under-19 men’s team, while S.N. Amit will take charge as the head coach for the senior women’s and Under-23 teams.