Jonathan Batty is expected to take charge of Southern Brave’s women’s side this summer, succeeding Australian coach Luke Williams. The move would reunite Batty with the GMR Group, owners of Brave and the Delhi Capitals franchise he currently guides in the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
The former Surrey and Gloucestershire wicketkeeper knows the Hundred well. He steered Oval Invincibles to consecutive titles in 2021 and 2022 before Oval turned to Lisa Keightley and the freshly branded MI London. “Continuity helps players relax—if they’re relaxed, they perform,” Batty said earlier this winter when asked about his coaching philosophy. Invincibles benefited, and Delhi have too: Batty has led Capitals to four straight WPL finals, although the trophy still eludes them.
Southern Brave’s coaching seat became vacant when Charlotte Edwards left to become England’s head coach. Williams filled in last season, keeping Brave unbeaten in the group phase but falling to Northern Superchargers at Lord’s. Sources close to the club say Batty’s appointment should be rubber-stamped shortly.
The Brave have already tied down four women’s players ahead of next month’s draft: pace bowler Lauren Bell (£140,000), batter-all-rounder Maia Bouchier (£85,000), South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt (£75,000) and India’s Jemimah Rodrigues (£60,000). Wolvaardt and Rodrigues know Batty’s methods from Delhi, an overlap that should shorten the settling-in period.
There is change in the men’s dug-out, too. Hemang Badani, another coach on GMR’s books, is set to replace Adi Birrell. Badani has overseen Delhi Capitals’ men in the IPL and worked with sister teams in Major League Cricket and the ILT20. A former India left-hander, he mixes tactical detail with a calm, almost old-school demeanour. “I try to keep messages simple; clarity wins close matches,” he told reporters during last year’s IPL.
Badani inherits a core group that already includes Jofra Archer (£400,000), Jamie Smith (£300,000), Australia’s Marcus Stoinis (£150,000) and South African dasher Tristan Stubbs (£100,000). Archer’s fitness remains under watch, yet his retention underlines Brave’s determination to stay pace-heavy on Southampton’s usually lively surfaces.
The Hundred drafts are scheduled for 11 March (women) and 12 March (men). Both Batty and Badani are expected at the tables, fine-tuning squads that have been perennial contenders since the competition’s launch. Whether their shared Delhi background translates into immediate success on the south coast will be the early-season subplot to follow. For now, Brave fans can bank on fresh ideas without a total overhaul—evolution rather than revolution, to borrow a phrase coaches keep repeating.
