NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals made a significant announcement on Monday, revealing that former New Zealand pace bowler Shane Bond will be joining the franchise in a dual role as Assistant Coach and the new Fast Bowling Coach for the IPL 2024 season.
Bond, a standout modern-day fast bowler, previously served as the Bowling Coach for the New Zealand national team from 2012 to 2015, contributing to their run to the final of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. He later joined the Mumbai franchise in the IPL in 2015, playing a vital role in their success of winning four titles in nine seasons. Under his tutelage, several fast bowlers, including renowned names like Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell McClenaghan, Trent Boult, and others, evolved into T20 specialists.
The 48-year-old will reunite with Trent Boult at the Rajasthan Royals and will potentially work on enhancing the current group of fast bowlers, which includes Prasidh Krishna, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldeep Sen, Obed McCoy, KM Asif, and Kuldip Yadav.
Kumar Sangakkara, the Director of Cricket for the Rajasthan Royals, welcomed the New Zealand veteran to the franchise, saying, "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 in India for a number of years and is well-versed with 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."
Shane Bond shared his excitement upon signing with the Royals, saying, "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."
The Royals also expressed their gratitude to the departing Lasith Malinga for his substantial contribution to the franchise during his two seasons with them and wished him the best in his future endeavors.
(With ANI inputs)
