Andrew McDonald removed as head coach of Rajasthan Royals

In a major bit of restructure in the Rajasthan Royals setup, the 2008 champions  have parted ways with Andrew ...

By Lokmat English Desk | Published: February 21, 2021 06:20 PM2021-02-21T18:20:00+5:302021-02-21T18:20:00+5:30

Andrew McDonald removed as head coach of Rajasthan Royals | Andrew McDonald removed as head coach of Rajasthan Royals

Andrew McDonald removed as head coach of Rajasthan Royals

Next

In a major bit of restructure in the Rajasthan Royals setup, the 2008 champions  have parted ways with Andrew McDonald as their head coach after only one season of association. Eyeing their second IPL title, the Royals have roped in former Zimbabwe cricketer Trevor Penney as the Lead Assistance Coach to assist Kumar Sangakkara who has been brought in as the Director of Cricketer Operations. As part of their revamp plans, Amol Muzumdar, who served as the batting coach for the last three seasons, will now serve as an "out-of-season High Performance Batting coach to support the squad and RR academies."
"Everyone at Rajasthan Royals would like to thank Andrew for his efforts towards the IPL season 13. He coached the team during an incredibly challenging COVID restricted period and we would like to wish him all the very best for his future endeavours with the Australian Men's Cricket Team and the Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred", said Jake Lush McCrum, COO, Rajasthan Royals. Trevor Penney will be working with Royals' newly-appointed Director of Cricket, Kumar Sangakkara, who will be the "decision maker in the structure", captain Sanju Samson, spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahatule, fast bowling coach Rob Cassell and fielding coach Dishant Yagnik, alongside international senior players like Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler. Zubin Bharucha will serve as the Development and Performance Director.Penney, a former Warwickshire player, has worked in the capacity of a head coach with Sri Lanka, as fielding coach with India, and as a consultant coach with Netherlands. He is currently employed by the Cricket West Indies as an assistant coach for their men's white-ball teams.Penny has also served on the coaching staff of Punjab Kings (previously Kings XI Punjab), Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Rider,s and has worked as an assistant coach with St Lucia Zouks and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League.

"It's fantastic to have Trevor Penney on board here at Rajasthan Royals. He's very experienced and understands the game very well which I am sure will help contribute to the players' and squad's overall growth. I'm confident Trevor's appointment is going to set us on the right pathway and it will be wonderful to have him work with our squad" said Sangakkara. Jake Lush McCrum added: "It's great to bring in someone with a coaching CV like that of Trevor. He's one of the most well travelled coaches in the modern game and has had considerable success across the globe. Kumar and Trevor have a really strong relationship after sharing a successful period together with the Sri Lankan national team. We are hopeful of an exciting season ahead under the able leadership of Kumar alongside a strategy group including Sanju, Zubin and Trevor."

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) franchise purchased eight cricketers at the Indian Premier League 2021 (IPL 2021) auction, including the costliest buy in the history of the tournament. South African all-rounder Chris Morris smashed all records on Thursday as he went under the hammer. The Proteas power-hitter, who played a T20 international back in 2019 and represented RCB in the IPL 2020, became the most expensive buy in the history of IPL as Rajasthan Royals acquired him for Rs 16.25 crore. His base price was set at Rs 75 lacs. England batting dynamite Liam Livingstone, South African all-rounder Chris Morris, Bangladesh speedster Mustafizur Rahman were among the overseas players purchased by the Rajasthan Royals at the IPL 2021 auction. 

Open in app