3 players RR might sign soon on Shane Bond's advice ft. Lockie Ferguson

Shane Bond was roped in by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) as their fast bowling coach and assistant coach just days after he parted ways with the Mumbai Indians (MI). The retired fast bowler had been working as a bowling coach for the Rohit Sharma-led side since 2015.

Lasith Malinga, who was the fast bowling coach of RR for the last two campaigns, has now been named as MI's new bowling coach. He has worked both under Bond and with Bond as a mentor in 2018 at the Mumbai-based team. It was kind of a straight swap of bowling coaches between both teams.

Shane Bond was quite successful during his stint at the Wankhede Stadium, helping MI build a cohesive bowling unit that won four IPL titles (2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020). He will be eager to assist RR in winning their first IPL trophy since 2008.

Here are three players RR might sign soon based on Shane Bond's advice:

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#1 Lockie Ferguson

The Rajasthan Royals already have a strong bowling core that includes Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravinchandran Ashwin and Prasidh Krishna. However, their fifth and sixth bowling options have been poor for the most part.

Lockie Ferguson, who is also a New Zealander, just like Shane Bond and Boult, will be a fabulous addition to the RR roster. Fergsuson's best IPL campaigns were in 2021 and 2022, where he picked up 13 and 12 wickets, respectively. However, he only appeared three times in the 2023 edition.

If the Kolkata Knight Riders do not retain him, the Rajasthan-based franchise should snap him up. He will compliment Boult perfectly, just like he does whenever they play for the Kiwis. He will also add some pace to their bowling attack.

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#2 Mitchell Santner

Mitchell Santner is another countryman of Shane Bond's who could be signed by RR on the newly-appointed coach's recommendation. The 2008 IPL champions already have two quality spinners in Chahal and Ashwin, but Santner could be a valuable third spinning option.

He could be played on pitches that favor spinners, along with the two Indian spinners. Rajasthan's home venue, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, is also one that favors the bowlers, both pacers and spinners. Hence, having five to six strong bowling options could be the plan.

Santner is more than capable of performing with the bat as well. Both he and Ashwin can score some valuable runs down the order. Santner has been underutilized massively by the Chennai Super Kings, who already have a left-arm spinner in Ravindra Jadeja. RR could be the right place for him.

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#3 Logan van Beek

The only player on this list who doesn't have a Kiwi connection with Shane Bond is Logan van Beek. The Dutch all-rounder has been the talk of the town due to his recent exploits for the Netherlands at the ongoing 2023 World Cup.

Van Beek has performed well with both bat and ball in the quadrennial tournament. He picked up three wickets in his side's famous win against South Africa and scored a half-century against Sri Lanka. The 33-year-old will be a shrewd addition to RR's squad.

He will not only be a good fifth or sixth bowling option but will also provide some much-needed depth in their batting order. The Sanju Samson-led outfit has been criticized for not having many players who can bat and bowl. Hence, Van Beek could be a suitable option.