Former India Star Removed as Head Coach of Team After Just One Month in Charge

New Delhi: Dodda Ganesh, former India star and Karnataka pacer, has been removed from his position as head coach of the Kenya men's cricket team just one month after being appointed on August 12. Ganesh, who represented India in four Tests and one ODI, had signed a year-long contract with the Kenya men's team. According to a report in Nation. Africa, Cricket Kenya's executive board deemed Ganesh's appointment irregular. The decision was conveyed in a letter signed by Pearlyne Omami, Cricket Kenya's Director of Women's Cricket, on behalf of the board members. It is worth noting that Kenya made it to the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup.

“Under a resolution of the executive board of Cricket Kenya passed on Wednesday, 28 August 2024, and anchored under inter alia Articles 5.9 and 8.4.3 of the Cricket Kenya Constitution, we wish to notify you that the executive board has declined to ratify your appointment as head coach of the men’s cricket national team for want of following established procedures,” read the aforementioned letter.

“Voided the purported contract made on August 7, 2024, between Mr Manoj Patel and yourself. Pursuant to the above, Cricket Kenya is not and shall not be bound by the said purported contract.”

“You are therefore directed to cease any further engagement or dealings with the men’s national cricket team with immediate effect. Any concerns or claims relating to this notice should be channelled to Mr Manoj Patel and any other individuals who irregularly and unprocedurally engaged you in this respect,” it concluded.

With Ganesh’s stint coming to an abrupt end, former international players Lameck Onyango and Joseph Angara will take over as Kenya men’s head coach and assistant coach respectively. The duo’s first assignment will be to prepare the Kenyan team for the ICC Division 2 Challenge League, where they will face Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Denmark and Jersey, in Nairobi in September.

It will be followed by the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub-regional Qualifier B tournament, where Kenya will play against Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Gambia in Nairobi from October 17-26.