On August 14, Cricket Kenya announced that Dodda Ganesh, a former Indian fast bowler, would become the head coach of the men’s national team. Ganesh, who played for Karnataka and represented India in four Test matches and one ODI, was expected to bring stability to Kenyan cricket during a time of transition.

He replaced Lameck Onyango, who had been the interim coach. Onyango, along with Joseph Angara and Joseph Asichi, was part of Ganesh’s coaching staff.

However, in an unexpected turn, Ganesh has been dismissed from his role exactly one month after his appointment.

Cricket Kenya: Appointment did not follow established procedures

According to Nation.Africa, Ganesh received a letter stating that on August 28, 2024, the Cricket Kenya executive board decided not to approve his appointment as head coach. The letter mentioned that his appointment did not follow the proper procedures outlined in their rules.

The letter also declared that the contract made between Dodda Ganesh and Mr. Manoj Patel on August 7, 2024, was invalid. As a result, Cricket Kenya would not be bound by that contract.

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The letter instructed Ganesh to stop all work with the men’s national cricket team immediately. It also said that any questions or issues about this decision should be directed to Mr. Manoj Patel or anyone else involved in his appointment.

The letter was signed by Pearlyne Omami, Cricket Kenya’s Director of Women’s Cricket, on behalf of the board. It’s not clear yet what rules were broken in Ganesh’s appointment, but this decision ends his hopes of leading Kenya back into the ODI and T20I World Cups.

Lameck Onyango and Joseph Angara are back as interim coach and assistant coach. Their first task will be to compete in the ICC Division 2 Challenge League, where Kenya will face Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Jersey, and Denmark.

Dodda Ganesh, who played a few matches for India without much success, had a decent career in first-class cricket with Karnataka, where he scored over 2000 runs and took 365 wickets.

His new challenge is to help Kenya return to its past cricketing glory. Kenya was once a strong team, competing in five World Cups from 1996 to 2011. Their best performance was in 2003 when they reached the semifinals under Indian coach Sandeep Patil. However, Kenyan cricket has struggled in recent years and has only qualified for one T20 World Cup, which was in 2007.

Kenya will be competing against teams like Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Denmark, and Jersey in upcoming tournaments, including the ICC Division 2 Challenge League in September and the T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers in October.

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Dodda Ganesh expressed his excitement about the new role, saying, “I’m privileged to be named the head coach of the Kenya cricket team.”

In a video shared by the media, Ganesh is shown talking with senior Kenya cricket officials.

He will be supported by former Kenyan players, Lameck Onyango and Joseph Angara, who will serve as his assistants.