Former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond has been appointed as the assistant coach and bowling coach by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) IPL franchise ahead of the IPL 2024 season.
Shane Bond was previously with Mumbai Indians as their bowling coach for nine years. MI recently appointed Lasith Malinga as their bowling coach, who was incidentally the bowling coach of the RR franchise.
Welcoming the New Zealand veteran to the franchise, Royals' Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara said, "Shane is one of the greatest fast bowlers of modern-day cricket, and brings with himself a wealth of experience and knowledge having mentored some of the best in the business. He has served in the IPL and India for several years and is well-versed in the processes involved within the franchise ecosystem. He is someone who has a keen eye for helping the best become even better and we are delighted to welcome him to the franchise, and look forward to seeing the impact he can make towards molding us into a title-winning team."
"I'm delighted to be joining the Royals. It's a forward-thinking franchise who are determined to do well and I'm excited about being part of their vision. The bowling group is a great mix of youth and experience, and it will be awesome to work alongside them," said Bond.
This also means Bond has ended his stint as head coach of MI Emirates, the Mumbai Indians-owned team in the UAE's ILT20. Under him, the franchise reached Qualifier 2 but lost to the eventual champions Gulf Giants in the inaugural edition.
(ANI inputs)
