Is Brendon McCullum going to step down as KKR head coach after IPL 2022 season?

While there are talks about a rift between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team and management, it has now been learnt that team head coach Brendon McCullum will be leaving the setup after the completion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 edition.

The reason for him leaving is because he could be taking up the head coach role for the England Test team. McCullum reportedly is the favourite to replace Chris Silverwood as the next England Test team coach. 

READ | 'Shreyas Iyer looks visibly angry with Brendon McCullum' : former Indian cricketer

While many names were discussed in the last few weeks, it has finally come down to McCullum and the official announcement is expected to come soon. In fact, this would be the first assignment for the 40-year-old as a full-time head coach for a nation. 

Earlier, McCullum had coached the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKK) in Caribbean Premier League (CPL) alongside taking KKR to the finals last year.

According to a KKR insider, McCullum already revealed in a meeting a few days ago about leaving the franchise after the current season. "He informed us that he won’t be part of KKR going ahead as he will be taking up a job as England cricket team coach. He informed us during a team meeting a few days ago," Indian Express reported.

Talking about England's form, they faced a 0-4 loss in the Ashes last year, which led to the sacking of Silverwood from the head coach position. Paul Collingwood was appointed as the interim head coach for the next Test series against West Indies. However, there too, the side lost 0-1 against the Windies.

Interestingly, England is set to host New Zealand for a three-match Test series in June and McCullum would most likely start his assignment against his birth nation.

Talking about Test games, McCullum was one of the most aggressive batters in his playing years and his record for the fastest Test century off just 54 balls in the 2015-16 season against Australia still stays to his name. He has the highest score of 302 in the longer format of the game and has transferred it into his coaching style as well.