New Delhi, Dec 8: Former India allrounder Sanjay Bangar has been appointed the head of cricket development at Punjab Kings (PBKS), the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise said on Friday.

The appointment marks Bangar's return to PBKS, having previously been the franchise's assistant coach in 2014 before assuming the role of head coach in 2015 and 2016.

"We are delighted to announce the return of our sher, Sanjay Bangar as the new Head of Cricket Development at Punjab Kings. Bangar brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our organization, and we are confident that under his leadership, our cricket development programs will reach new heights," PBKS said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

Under Bangar in 2014, PBKS (then Kings XI Punjab) finished runners-up which remains their best performance to date. However, they have not managed to reach the playoffs since that season.

Following his previous stint with the PBKS, Bangar went on to serve as the batting coach for the Indian team, contributing to their journey to the semi-finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup.

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He subsequently took on the role of batting consultant for Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of IPL 2021 before being appointed as their head coach for the succeeding two years. (IANS)