Fiery opener Paul Valthaty who once became an overnight sensation with a century for Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2011 is set to take up coaching role in the USA. Valthaty has been appointed as the head coach of Minor League Cricket team Seattle Thunderbolts.
It is a developmental T20 tournament for Major League Cricket (MLC) which was won by Steve Smith's Washington Freedom recently.
"Seattle Thunderbolts have just added a big hitter to their lineup—off the field! We're thrilled to announce that Paul Valthaty, the former Kings XI Punjab sensation, is now steering our ship as the Head Coach," Seattle Thunderbolts said in a statement.
The 40-year-old joined the players at the Thunderbolts Cricket Academy in Seattle. He recorded a video message expressing his excitement to help nurture young talent. He also shared his experience of playing in the IPL and Mumbai.
The 40-year-old had announced his retirement from domestic cricket in 2023. His is one of the one-season wonder in IPL history. He made his IPL debut in 2009 season. In IPL 2011, he scored 463 runs from 14 games at an average of 35.61 including one century and two half-centuries.
He scored an unbeaten 120 off 63 balls against MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a successful run chase in Mohali. However, he could not make a mark next season scoring 30 runs from six innings. In 2013, he played just one game and scored just six runs.
Valthaty’s short domestic career
Earlier, Valthaty was a part of India's Under-19 squad for the 2002 World Cup. He suffered an eye injury during a clash against Bangladesh. He was initially signed by Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2009 where he did not have much success.
Valthaty has played five First-Class games and four List A games. He scored 120 runs from six innings including a half-century in red-ball cricket. In List A cricket, he scored 74 runs from four games. He also has one wicket each in both formats.
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