Vikram Solanki has left Surrey to take on a director of cricket role with the new Ahmedabad-based franchise in the Indian Premier League, bringing to an end his nine-year association with the club.The former England batter first joined the club as a player in 2013 and went on to 2,400 runs across all formats. In 2016, he took on a player-coach role with the second XI before becoming the side’s full time coach in 2017. He aided the development of several future first-team players including Ryan Patel, Ollie Pope and Amar Virdi. He was later appointed assistant coach under Michael Di Venuto in 2017, helping to steer Surrey to County Championship glory in 2018 before replacing the Australian at the helm at the end of the 2019 season. His time as head coach has been plagued by both Covid-19 and a downturn in Surrey’s red-ball form. Since the start of 2020, Surrey have won just three four-day matches.
Commenting on his time at Surrey, Solanki said: "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."I am forever grateful for the level of support that has always been afforded to me and my family during my time here. A special thank you too to Alec Stewart who has been a mentor and a guide."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. To all the players, staff and members, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!" Alec Stewart, the club’s director of cricket, added: "Firstly 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."
