Rajasthan Royals appoint Sairaj Bahutule as spin-bowling coach ahead of IPL 2025

New Delhi [India], February 13 (ANI): Former India spinner Sairaj Bahutule on Thursday joined Rajasthan Royals as spin-bowling coach ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

Earlier, from the 2018 to 2021 season, Sairaj served the same role for the Rajasthan-based franchise.

Sairaj reflected on his second term with the franchise and said it had been a tremendous honour for him. He also expressed his eagerness to work alongside Rahul Dravid.

"Joining Rajasthan Royals again is a tremendous honour. The franchise's commitment to nurturing talent and playing an exciting brand of cricket resonates with my own coaching philosophy. I am eager to work alongside Rahul [Dravid, head coach] and the rest of the coaching staff to develop our bowling attack and contribute to the team's success. Together, we aim to achieve great milestones in the forthcoming season," Bahutule said in a release as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Head coach Rahul Dravid hailed Sairaj's deep understanding of spin bowling and said that his extensive coaching experience will be an invaluable addition to the franchise.

"Sairaj's deep understanding of spin bowling and his extensive coaching experience make him an invaluable addition to our team. His proven ability to mentor young bowlers aligns perfectly with our vision at Rajasthan Royals. Having worked with him before, I am confident that his insights and guidance will significantly benefit our players as we strive for excellence in the upcoming season," Dravid said.

Sairaj has taken 633 wickets in first-class cricket and 10 scalps in T20s. He has also played two Tests and eight ODIs for Team India.

In the last IPL season, RR reached the playoffs, losing to Qualifier Two by Sunrisers Hyderabad by 36 runs. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)