Sourav Ganguly’s dream of coaching a team finally came true after the former India captain and BCCI president was named as the head coach of Pretoria Capitals in the upcoming season SA20, the franchise announced on Sunday. The 51-year-old Ganguly replaced Jonathan Trott at the helm. The Englishman has stepped down from the role a day before.

“The Prince is all set to bring a royal flair to the Capitals camp! We are ecstatic to announce Sourav Ganguly as our new head coach,” Pretoria Capitals posted on social media. Ganguly has been associated with the Capitals for a long times. 

Following his retirement from cricket in 2012, Ganguly had been associated with cricket administration in various capacities and served as the president of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) for four years between 2015 and 2019. He was also doing commentary during that time. 

His first association with the Capitals came in 2019 when he was named as the advisor to Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the southpaw had to sacrifice his IPL job as he was appointed as the BCCI president the same year in October.

Ganguly returned to the Delhi Capitals as a team director in 2023. Meanwhile, in 2024, Ganguly was named as Head of Cricket at JSW Sports, to overlook the women’s franchises and Pretoria Capitals. The decision came following an agreement between JSW and the GMR groups which co-owns the Capitals franchises globally. 

Meanwhile, Ganguly has a task cut out at Pretotia Capitals. The franchise finished runners-up in the inaugural edition two years ago and finished fifth last season. It must also be noted that SA20 2025-26 will be played between December 26 and January 25 in order to avoid a clash with T20 World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.