In a recent turn of events, the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals have appointed Aussie cricketer Andrew Barry McDonald as their head coach for a period of three years.
It is worth highlighting that McDonald played in the IPL as part of the Delhi Daredevils team in 2009. He was then signed by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2012-13. He later went on to be the bowling coach of RCB.
After being appointed as the head coach of the inaugural champions of the league, McDonald stated, “I’m delighted to join the Royals family. It’s a great honour to take on this responsibility.”
“The Rajasthan Royals is a new, exciting challenge for me, and 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.”
The former all-round cricketer has rich coaching experience with teams like Leicestershire, Victoria and Melbourne Renegades.
“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,” Executive Chairman of the Rajasthan Royals Ranjit Barthakur said of his appointment.
“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,” he added.
Rajasthan Royals had finished seventh in the Indian Premier League after winning five matches and having 11 points at the end of the league stage. Under their new head coach, they would like to change their fortunes and win their second IPL title.