IPL 2019: Rajasthan Royals appoint Paddy Upton as head coach

What's the story?

IPL 2019 is just a couple of months away and the franchises are doing their best to settle all the things before taking the field in the tournament. After finishing the proceedings at auction, teams are reviewing the team management and staff to strengthen the bunch and hence give best shot in the upcoming edition.

Rajasthan Royals, who finished fourth on the points table last year, had a busy IPL Auction last month and now they have decided to make a major change to their coach staff. On Sunday, the franchise appointed South African Paddy Upton as their head coach for the forthcoming season.

In case you didn't know

Upton has previously been associated with India and South Africa coaching set-ups while also been a part of Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils in IPL. The 50-year-old has had quite a good reign with Royals as he coached the side for four long years. He helped them reach the semi-finals of IPL 2013 and also, it was under his run, when the Royals won record 13 straight home games.

The heart of the matter

There were talks going on around from a couple of days about Upton's association with Royals, however, the same was cleared this afternoon after the franchise announced it officially.

“The experience and knowledge that he brings to the table is unparalleled. As coach, mentor and scientific trainer, Paddy Upton is well versed with the rigours of modern day sport. We are thrilled to have him back in our team and can’t wait to put on our pads and get going in the new season,” Zubin Bharucha, Head of Cricket, Rajasthan Royals was quoted as saying by the official website of the team.

Royals seem to be quite pleased to have the services of Upton for the upcoming edition,

"It gives us immense pleasure to announce Paddy joining the team. We welcome him back to the Royals Family. Paddy is someone who is well versed with the culture of Rajasthan Royals and he knows what it takes to achieve success in international sport at the highest level. We cannot wait for the season to begin and are so pleased that the BCCI have confirmed it will be held entirely in India,” said Manoj Badale, Lead Owner of Rajasthan Royals.

What's next?

After a lot of buzz, it was recently affirmed that IPL 2019 will take place in India despite the scheduled Lok Sabha election across the country. The tournament is set to start from March 23rd, though the schedules are yet to be announced.

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL news, IPL schedule, points table, live scores, fantasy tips and stats.