Former Australian cricketer Andrew McDonald has been appointed as the head coach of Rajasthan Royals on a three-year contract. With prior experience in IPL, McDonald replaced Paddy Upton in the franchise.
McDonald comes with vast experience
McDonald was associated as a player in IPL for Delhi Daredevils between 2009 and 2011 and Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2012 and 2013. He also has coaching experience in the league as he served as the bowling coach of Bangalore. He replaced Paddy Upton in the process, who was appointed just before the start of the previous season. McDonald also helped Victoria win the Sheffield Shield in his first year as coach. He was with Melbourne Renegades, won Big Bash title this year after finishing 7th in 2017-18.
Rajasthan Royals who were the inaugural champions of the Indian Premier League eventually struggled through the next 11 seasons.
Who says what
McDonald on his appointed said that this would be a new and exciting challenge for him. “I can’t wait to get started working with our world class players and coaches in one of the biggest sporting leagues in the world.”
On the other hand, the executive chairman of the Rajasthan Royals Ranjit Barthakur said, “We are delighted to appoint Andrew as our Head Coach. He shares our belief of discovering potential and championing dreams and is aligned with our vision to continue to drive innovation in the IPL. Andrew will be preparing for the season by sharing experiences and best practices with exceptional coaches in other sports and will be visiting India in the near future to meet the Royals team, both on and off the field.”
The interview panel that chose Zubin Bharucha, the head of cricket for the franchise, opined that McDonald’s innovative ideas, and experience were the reasons for selecting him. “Andrew’s innovative, forward thinking nature, along with his experience in the IPL and success in other leagues is why we have selected him as Head Coach to help us drive long term success. He is data focused and an impressive man manager who remains well versed with the rigours of modern day cricket,” head of cricket Zubin Bharucha, who was part of the panel that picked a coach, said.
