Commoner Bangar plotting it for Kings XI Punjab

SHARJAH: From having to stay in dormitories during First Class matches in India to travelling sleeper class while playing domestic cricket, watering and rolling pitches on their own to fill in for the ground staff at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi and victories being the only window to promotion - Sanjay Bangar, like his contemporaries, who plied their trade for the Railways over the years, has been accustomed to a tough life.
A shy, unassuming individual, Bangar's wellknown for his vast knowledge of India's domestic circuit. He has even experienced the highs of playing for the national team and has gone through the lows of having to deal with lack of facilities in the Railways throughout his career. Right now, he's busy experiencing something very unique.
At the IPL, here in the UAE, Bangar is enjoying the privilege of being the only India coach among all eight franchises and the most popular of them all given Kings XI Punjab's success so far in the tournament.
The manner in which Punjab have gone about their game so far, wining all the four matches comprehensively, he's become the toast of the tournament for having conjured up a line-up comprising both international and domestic players, that's talented and explosive.
"He's a lovely fellow. Sanjay has been excellent with what we have got so far," says Kings XI skipper George Bailey.
"We get really good clarity, which is great from a coaching perspective as the players know exactly what is expected of them. He is very calm and rational; there are no roller-coasters. He understands Twenty20 and its momentum and technicalities," he adds.
Bangar's clarity of thought has reflected not just in the way he's gone about playing his cricket. He even writes about the game with passion and perspective.
Along with Bailey, who's equally popular back in Australia for the way he handles his boys, Bangar has helped create a refreshing environment in the new-look Kings XI.
Kings XI retained only two players from the last season, Manan Vohra and David Miller, after skipper Adam Gilchrist, batsman David Hussey and coach Darren Lehmann opted to stay away.
Talking about how Punjab went about forming the new side, Bangar says: "What really helped us is that we had a chat with the previous team management. I also spoke to the previous Indian coaches who had worked with the team. We made an attempt to give a bit of continuity to the boys who are associated with us."
There was a conscious effort to go for impact players at the auction, recalls Bangar. "As far as the overseas players go, we made an effort to go for impact players and maybe because of that, the balance looks quite right," he says, adding that despite the uncertainty of where the IPL was going to be played this year (in the wake of general elections), the team management thought of building a side suitable for all venues.