Vikram Solanki: Surrey head coach leaves for Indian Premier League role

Surrey head coach Vikram Solanki has left to become director of cricket at an unnamed Indian Premier League side.

Ex-England batter Solanki, 45, joined Surrey as a player in 2013, becoming head coach after the 2019 season.

Surrey reached the final of the T20 Blast in 2020 with Solanki in charge.

He spent time coaching the second XI after his retirement in 2015, and then worked under Michael di Venuto with the first team before replacing him as head coach.

Solanki was assistant head coach in 2018 as Surrey won their first County Championship in 16 years.

He told the club's website: «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 [Surrey director of cricket] who has been a mentor and a guide.

Solanki spent the majority of his playing career at Worcestershire, from 1995 to 2012, before making the move to The Oval.

He earned 54 England caps from 2000 to 2006, hitting two centuries in one-day internationals.