Paddy Upton was previously associated with Rajasthan Royals. (Source: BCCI)Rajasthan Royals have secured the services of Paddy Upton as the head coach for the upcoming season of Indian Premier League. The 50-year-old, who had previously served Royals for three years as the coach between 2013-2015, will once again take the charge of the franchise for the entire 2019 season.
Under his guidance, Royals made it to the semifinals of the 2013 edition, and also managed to reach the finals of the Champions League in the same year. The franchise also recorded 13 consecutive wins at home under Upton, which is the highest ever by any team IPL team.
Upton is no stranger to coaching IPL teams. Apart from leading Royals, he has led Pune Warriors XI as the head coach in the 2012 season, and then served Delhi Dynamos (now Delhi Capitals) for two seasons in 2016 and 2017.
He also has experience of coaching T20 teams across the world, as he was the head coach of Australia’s Big Bash League side Sydney Thunders for four seasons between 2014 and 2018. IN 2015, Upton led Thunders to their maiden title.
“The experience and knowledge that he brings to the table are unparalleled. As the 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,” Rajasthan Royals Head of Cricket Zubin Bharucha said in a press release.
Upton was also the mental conditioning coach of the 2011 ODI World Cup winning side under head coach Gary Kirsten. He also held the position of Performance Director of South Africa Cricket from 2011 and 2014, when the Proteas held the World No. 1 ranking in all three formats of the game (2012).
“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,” Manoj Badale, Lead Owner of Rajasthan Royals said in the press release.
The 12th season of the Indian Premier League will begin from March 29, 2019 and will run till May 19, 2019.
