New Zealand assistant coaches will join Islamabad United for PSL 2026 while the New Zealand national cricket team play T20Is against South Africa national cricket team and prepare for a tour of Bangladesh national cricket team

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New Zealand men’s assistant coaches Luke Ronchi and Jacob Oram will take up coaching roles with Islamabad United in the upcoming 2026 edition of the Pakistan Super League, even though the tournament overlaps with the New Zealand national cricket team international schedule.

Ronchi currently serves as New Zealand’s batting coach, while Oram is the side’s bowling coach. Earlier in January, Ronchi—who represented Islamabad United for three seasons after making his PSL debut in 2017-18—was appointed the franchise’s head coach. Oram will join the support staff as one of his assistants during the tournament.

New Zealand performance manager Mike Sandle said the opportunity would help both coaches broaden their experience in global franchise cricket.

“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,” 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.”

New Zealand are scheduled to face South Africa national cricket team in a five-match T20I series from March 15 to 25. The PSL season is set to begin on March 26, meaning Ronchi and Oram will join Islamabad United immediately after the series concludes.

Following the South Africa fixtures, the Black Caps will tour Bangladesh for three ODIs and three T20Is against the Bangladesh national cricket team, although the exact schedule for the series is yet to be confirmed.

In the absence of Ronchi and Oram, Wellington head coach Jonny Bassett-Graham and NZC network coach Graeme Aldridge will assist head coach Rob Walter during the South Africa T20I series. Meanwhile, Brendon Donkers will step into the coaching setup for the Bangladesh tour.

Sandle added that bringing in different coaches during the period would also strengthen New Zealand’s high-performance coaching network and provide valuable exposure to domestic coaching staff.

“It will be great to have Jonny, Graeme and Brendon join the Black Caps,” he 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.”