Ronchi and Oram to coach at PSL despite clash with NZ assignments

Luke Ronchi and Jacob Oram, New Zealand's batting and bowling coach respectively, will take their places at Islamabad United during the series against South Africa and Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff

Published: Mar 13, 2026, 3:25 AM (3 hrs ago)

New Zealand men's assistant coaches Luke Ronchi and Jacob Oram will be working as Islamabad United coaches at the upcoming PSL 2026, even though it clashes with New Zealand's home T20I series against South Africa in March, and their limited-overs tour of Bangladesh in April.

While Ronchi is New Zealand's batting coach, Oram is the bowling coach of the side. In January, Ronchi, who played for Islamabad United for three seasons after his tournament debut in 2017-18, was named as the team's head coach. Oram will join as one of Ronchi's assistants.

"This is a great chance for Luke and Jake to further their coaching experience and grow their skills outside of the New Zealand cricket environment," New Zealand performance manager Mike Sandle said. "Just like our players, our coaches are in demand around the world, and we believe Luke and Jake will not only personally benefit from their time at the PSL, but they will also be able to bring back knowledge and IP that can aid the Black Caps and NZC in the future."

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New Zealand play South Africa in five T20Is from March 15 to 25, and the PSL is scheduled to begin on March 26. New Zealand are then set to tour Bangladesh for three ODIs and T20Is each, but the fixtures of the tour haven't been announced yet.

In Ronchi and Oram's absence, Wellington coach Jonny Bassett-Graham and NZC network coach Graeme Aldridge will assist Rob Walter, the head coach, during the South Africa series. Canterbury's Brendon Donkers, meanwhile, will take over for the Bangladesh tour.

"It will be great to have Jonny, Graeme and Brendon join the Black Caps, and I'm sure they will get a lot of out their time in the environment and the experience of working alongside our players and support staff," Sandle said. "Their involvement will naturally help strengthen our high-performance coaching depth, and we hope the coaches themselves will be able to take back some of what they've learned to benefit the domestic set-ups."

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