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Indian Premier League's (IPL) first title holders Rajasthan Royals (RR) have appointed the Sri Lankan bowling great Lasith Malinga as the new fast bowling coach for the upcoming season which is slated to kick start from March 26.
In the RR's managing staff, Malinga will join his former teammate and franchise's Directory of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara. The 38-year-old, who used to play for Mumbai Indians (MI), last played in the IPL back in 2019 as he remained the cornerstone in four of the five title glory for MI. He is also the leading wicket-taker in the history of the IPL with 170 dismissals against his name. However he announced his retirement from all formats of the game in January 2021.
Malinga will be working with the likes of Navdeep Saini and Prasidh Krishna among India bowlers, as well as New Zealand's leading pacer Trent Boult and West Indies' Obed McCoy at the Rajasthan Royals.
Rajasthan Royals will begin their campaign in IPL 2022 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 29. The side will be led by Sanju Samson, who was one of the three players retained by the side ahead of the mega auction in February (the others being Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal).
In the IPL mega auction, RR roped in the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal to bolster their spin-bowling attack, and spent a hefty sum on overseas cricketers like Shimron Hetmyer, Rassie van der Dussen, Jimmy Neesham, and Daryl Mitchell, among others.
Malinga, who claimed 446 international wickets, made his Test debut against Australia in July 2004 and played his first match in ODI cricket also during the same year against UAE. Malinga, who led Sri Lanka to the 2014 T20 World Cup title, finished with 107 wickets in the shortest format and made his T20I debut against England in June 2006.
Uptun returns
South African Paddy Upton, who had worked as the head coach of the franchise from 2013-15 and then in 2019, having led the team to top-four finishes in 2013 and 2015, along with a place in the Champions League in 2013, also returned to the Royals in a new role. Being the 'Team Catalyst', Upton will play a crucial role in establishing team integration by bringing them together as a cohesive and mutually supporting unit, and look after their mental well-being.
"Upton himself will be part of the bubble for the initial four weeks of the tournament, while supporting virtually post the completion of this period," the release said.
Like last season, Sri Lankan batting legend Kumar Sangakkara will be assuming the role of head coach during the upcoming season, while being the 'Director of Cricket' at the Royals outside of the season.
"Lasith is arguably one of the greatest T20 fast bowlers of all-time, and to have a personality like his around the training ground, and the expertise he brings to the table, is certainly something we feel the team can benefit from," said Sangakkara.
Among others, Trevor Penney (Assistant Coach), Zubin Bharucha (Strategy, Development and Performance Director) and Dishant Yagnik (Fielding Coach) will continue to serve in their respective roles.
Rajasthan Royals' picks in IPL mega auction:
Ravichandran Ashwin – Rs 5 Crore
Trent Boult – Rs 8 Crore
Shimron Hetmyer – Rs 8.50 Crore
Devdutt Padikkal – Rs 7.75 Crore
Prasidh Krishna – Rs 10 Crore
Yuzvendra Chahal- 6.50 crore
Riyan Parag – Rs 3.80 Crore
KC Cariappa -Rs 30 Lakh
Navdeep Saini- Rs 2.6 crore
Obed Mccoy- Rs 75 lakh
Arunay Singh- Rs 20 lakh
Kuldeep Sen- Rs 20 lakh
Karun Nair- Rs 1.40 crore
Atharva Taide- Rs 20 lakh
Dhruv Jurel- Rs 20 lakh
Tejas Baroka- Rs 20 lakh
Kuldip Yadav- Rs 20 lakh
Nathan Coulter-Nile- Rs 2 crore
Rassie van der Dussen- Rs 1 crore
Shubham Garhwal- Rs 20 lakh
Daryl Mitchell- Rs 75 lakh
James Neesham- Rs 1.50 crore
Rajasthan Royals' full squad for IPL 2022: Sanju Samson, Prasidh Krishna, Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, Devdutt Padikkal, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Navdeep Saini, KC Cariappa, Obed Mccoy, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell.
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