IPL 2020 News | Rajasthan Royals appoint New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi as spin consultant and operations executive

New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, who played for Rajasthan Royals in 2018 and 2019, has been roped in by the IPL outfit to fulfill the dual role of a spin consultant and an operations executive for the next edition of the IPL.

Sodhi will join the likes of spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule and Chief Operating Officer Jake Lush McCrum. Talking to the media, Rajasthan Royals' cricket head Zubin Bharucha sounded optimistic on the appointment and said:

"We are very happy to welcome back Ish to the Royals family in his new role. The induction of Ish in this dual role demonstrates the Royals' commitment to recognize and reward young talent to develop into masters in their field of work. I congratulate Ish on his new stint and wish every cricket fan across the globe gets behind the team when Rajasthan Royals kicks off its new season this summer."

🎵Guess who’s back, back again.Sodhi’s back, tell a friend. 🎵 Say hello to the Royals’ spin consultant, @ish_sodhi 😍#HallaBol #RoyalsFamily pic.twitter.com/oPubLJcXx9

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) January 2, 2020

With a bunch of talented spin-bowling youngsters in their ranks, Sodhi is excited to work and transfer knowledge to the best of his abilities. Sodhi reminded that his understanding with the support staff and the players were excellent and therefore, he didn't think twice before accepting the dual role. He said:

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"I am delighted to be taking on this new challenge at Rajasthan Royals with this dual role. Having played for two seasons for the Royals, I have formed a great level of understanding with all the people involved with the franchise, and they have always been very supportive of me. Therefore, I did not have to think twice when this opportunity was offered to me by the Royals' management. I love this franchise and want to help us win the IPL this year."

Shreyas Gopal

Royals spin-bowling all-rounder Shreyas Gopal also echoed the words of the RR camp on Sodhi's appointment. According to Gopal, players such as leg-spinner Mayank Markande, all-rounders Aniruddha Joshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mahipal Lomror, will benefit tremendously from this recent appointment. He said:

"I am so excited that Ish is joining the Royals' support staff this year. I love chatting to him in the nets about the strategy for upcoming matches, developing new deliveries and learning from his international experiences. I think him and Sairaj will be a great combination for me and the other spinners this year. Ish has actually already been a great mentor to me and really helps my preparation for matches. He is such a good guy to have in the camp, so I'm delighted he is coming back."

In eight matches, Sodhi claimed nine scalps at an average of 22.44 in two IPL seasons for the Rajasthan Royals.