Post Women’s ODI World Cup Triumph, Indian Team Likely to Appoint Foreign Strength & Conditioning Coach

New Delhi — After their historic victory in the Women’s ODI World Cup, the Indian women’s cricket team is likely to appoint a foreign strength and conditioning coach for the first time in its history.

Earlier in April, the BCCI had invited applications for the roles of head physiotherapist and strength and conditioning coach for the women’s team, with interviews reportedly conducted in Bengaluru soon after.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Nathan Kiely — currently serving as Head of Strength and Conditioning at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) — is the frontrunner to take over the role for the Indian women’s team.

Kiely brings with him a wealth of experience, having previously worked as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the New South Wales (NSW) cricket team and as Physical Performance Coach for the Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). He has also served with professional rugby league teams such as the Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos.

AI Harrsha, who has been handling strength and conditioning duties for the Indian women’s side in recent months, played a key role in maintaining the team’s fitness during their successful World Cup campaign. However, sources suggest that Harrsha, who is based at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, will be assigned new responsibilities due to the packed international schedule across men’s and women’s age-group teams.

For the men’s team, Adrian Le Roux currently serves as the Strength and Conditioning Coach in his second stint with India. The women’s team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will next be in action during a home white-ball series against Bangladesh in December, before players return to their respective franchises for the 2026 season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL).

With inputs from IANS