India’s Bowling support staff set for overhaul with specialist spin coach role

Mumbai: Former India and Mumbai leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule is set to join the Indian men’s team as its spin-bowling coach, TOI has learnt. Bahutule is currently the spin-bowling coach of Punjab Kings and will part ways with the franchise after the ongoing IPL 2026 season.

“Yes, Bahutule is set to join Team India as its spin-bowling coach for the next two years. There was a need for an experienced spin-bowling coach to guide India’s spinners, and consequently, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir and the BCCI’s top officials approached Bahutule,” a source in the BCCI confirmed to TOI on Friday.

Bahutule’s tenure is expected to begin with the home series against Afghanistan in June.

Strong domestic and international record

The 53-year-old Bahutule played two Tests and eight ODIs for India between 1997 and 2003, taking five wickets. The former Mumbai allrounder also featured in 188 first-class matches, in which he claimed a staggering 630 wickets at an average of 26.00 and scored 6,176 runs at an average of 31.83.

Over the years, Bahutule has served as India’s bowling coach and spin-bowling consultant on around 10 tours and series during the tenures of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, who briefly coached the Indian team on an interim basis. He was the head coach of India’s white-ball tour to South Africa in November 2024, as well as of the India Emerging team that toured Oman last year. He also worked as bowling coach with the Indian teams that toured Ireland and Sri Lanka, and at the Asian Games in 2023.

Vast experience with Indian teams

Bahutule was the spin-bowling consultant of the Indian team during the home Test series against Australia in 2022-23 at the insistence of then head coach Rahul Dravid. He has worked closely with many of India’s leading spinners as well as several upcoming talents.

Bahutule, who has vast coaching experience, was also the spin-bowling coach at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for three-and-a-half years from 2021 to 2024. He served as Rajasthan Royals’ spin-bowling coach from 2018 to 2021 and again in 2025. The Mumbaikar has also been head coach of multiple domestic teams, including Bengal, Vidarbha, Kerala and Gujarat.

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The Team India coaching setup currently includes batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, fast-bowling coach Morne Morkel, fielding coach T Dilip and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, with Bahutule now set to fill the spin-bowling coach’s role.