Australia's assistant coach, Daniel Vettori, has opted to skip the opening Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test in Perth to attend the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Vettori, who also serves as the head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), informed Cricket Australia (CA) of his decision to prioritize the auction, which coincides with the India vs. Australia 1st Test. “We fully support Dan’s role as head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad. He will oversee the final preparations for the first Test before attending the IPL auction and will then rejoin the team for the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” a CA spokesperson stated.
The clash arises because the 1st Test is scheduled from November 22-26, while the IPL auction will take place on November 24-25. Unlike the last Australian summer, when the auction occurred on December 23, 2023, allowing Vettori to manage both roles, this year's overlap necessitated his absence. As per his agreement with CA, the former New Zealand captain is required to dedicate a specific number of days annually to the Australian team, which gives him the flexibility to work with franchise leagues. This arrangement enables Vettori to take on full-time coaching roles with SRH in the IPL and Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, alongside his responsibilities with the Australian team.
To ensure continuity, CA has appointed Queensland coach Lachlan Stevens, who recently led Australia A against India A and also oversees the Under-19 side, to step in for Vettori during the Perth Test. Meanwhile, CA is seeking a full-time national pace bowling coach to fill in whenever Vettori is unavailable.
