Surrey head coach Vikram Solanki has left the club in order to take on a director of cricket role in the IPL.
The former England batter joined Surrey as a player in 2013 and has been with the club ever since, moving into coaching following his retirement and eventually taking on the head coach role after Michael Di Venuto’s departure in 2019.
He led the county to the final of the 2020 Vitality Blast and has overseen a period in which a core of Surrey players - including the likes of Jason Roy, Rory Burns and the Curran brothers - have been regular features for England across all formats.
The 45-year-old will now take up a position at the IPL’s new Ahmedabad franchise, which is as yet unnamed.
“Surrey has been an extremely valuable part of my life for the last nine years, both as a player and as a coach, making the decision to leave a difficult one,” Solanki said.
“I will always remain inspired by all the interactions and learnings with players and staff I have had the good fortune of working so closely with. There are many respected friendships I will cherish for a lifetime.
“Finally, it has been a privilege to serve this great club in the small way I have, and it has been an honour to have been the head coach of Surrey for the last two years.”
Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart added: “I’d like to thank Vikram for all of his hard work during his time at Surrey.
“As a player & more recently a coach, he has had a very positive influence on the squad. His high standards, commitment and work ethic have been exemplary, which we have all greatly appreciated.
“He was making excellent progress in his role as Head Coach with the knowledge, structure, man management skills and dedication he brought to the job, which I know all of the players have greatly appreciated in helping them to become better cricketers.
“On behalf of everyone at the Club I’d like to thank Vikram for his outstanding contribution during his time at the Club and wish him the very best in his new challenge as a Director of Cricket at the IPL. We will miss him, but he and his family will always be very welcome to visit us all here at The Kia Oval.”
