The fact that GMR Group holds a 49% share in the Southern Brave is reflected in the fact that The Hundred's team shares almost the same coaching staff as the Delhi Capitals. On Monday, the Southern Brave hired DC's head coach, Hemang Badani, for the same role in the upcoming The Hundred season. He replaced Adi Birrell from the previous season. In the Southern Brave team, he will have the English cricketer Ian Bell as his deputy, the same structure as of DC's as of 2026. In 2025 Badani joined Delhi Capitals, replacing the Australian great Ricky Ponting. Under the leadership of Axar Patel, the team did great, leading the chart in the first half, but faltered with time and finished fifth. In 2026, they signed Bell as the assistant coach. Well, this is not the first time Badani signed with another Capitals. Before dealing with the Brave, he worked with Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 in 2025. Ironically, that was the franchise's first ever title win in any league. Readalso: Gujarat Titans signs former CSK batter as batting coach for 2026 Indian Premier League Leadership influence in league market Delhi Capitals co-owners GMR Group hold a 49% stake in Southern Brave after acquiring the England and Wales Cricket Board’s share when the governing body opened the competition to foreign investment. The acquisition came after GMR completed a full takeover of Hampshire County Cricket Club in 2024 through a €120 million deal, giving the group operational influence over the Hundred franchise as well. The broader investment framework has also seen cross-league partnerships develop. In January 2026, co-owners of the Seattle Orcas from Major League Cricket deepened their involvement alongside GMR Sports to strengthen cooperation between the US and UK franchises. Within this structure, Southern Brave also appointed Jonathan Batty as head coach of the women’s team, replacing Luke Williams. Badani's coaching career accross leagues For the GMR group, he has previously worked with the Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket, even though not as a head. In IPL, he had earlier worked with the Sunrisers Hyderabad as a fielding coach and scout from December 2021 to July 2023. He served as a batting coach for Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20 and won the inaugural SA20 title in 2023 For the Jaffna Kings in the Lankan Premier League, he won 4 titles in 5 seasons, serving as both a consultant and mentor. Apart from that, he served as head coach in Tamil Nadu Premier League Franchise Chepauk Super Gillies since the league's inception in 2016, winning 4 titles over 7 seasons. Bell, meanwhile, has previously worked with England and England Lions setups, served as Sri Lanka’s batting coach during the 2024 Test series in England, and was part of New Zealand’s coaching group during their England tour before the 2023 Cricket World Cup. Southern Brave were the inaugural winners of the men’s Hundred in 2021 and finished runners-up in 2024, although the team struggled to make a significant impact in the most recent season.