Former Australian cricketer Andrew McDonald has been roped in by the Rajasthan Royals as their head coach on a three-year contract.
McDonald has previously worked as the bowling coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore and also has played in the IPL for them (2012 and 2013) and the Delhi Daredevils (2009 and 2011). He is replacing Paddy Upton who was appointed as their head coach before the start of the last season.
“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,” McDonald said following his appointment
The 38-year-old has quite a CV to showcase. He helped Victoria to the Sheffield Shield title in his very first year as the coach. McDonald even powered the Melbourne Renegades to the Big Bash League title this year. The same team had finished seventh in the 2017-18 season.
“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,” Ranjit Barthakur, the executive chairman of the Rajasthan Royals.
“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,” said Zubin Bharucha, head of cricket of the Royals.
The Rajasthan based franchise did win the inaugural edition of the IPL but have failed to win a title ever since. So, McDonald will look to get his midas touch working here as well.