Reports: Ashish Nehra to mentor RCB in IPL 2018

Ashish Nehra will be mentoring Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore in the upcoming Indian Premier League if reports in the Mirror are to be believed. The left-handed pacer retired from the sport recently after featuring in first of the three-T20I series against New Zealand in Delhi.

The 38-year-old had made it clear, at the time that he won't be a part of the 2018 IPL in the capacity of a player. "A lot of people are asking me why I was retiring from the IPL, that I could easily play IPL. But when I train day in and day out, I train to play for India.

"I realise that when I retire on November 1, there are five months before the next IPL and I could easily play. I could even play another year of international cricket. But that's my decision. Once I will leave, I will leave. I won't even play IPL," Nehra had said.

This is the first time that reports of him joining an IPL team as a mentor have surfaced up. Apparently the former international has already put pen on paper with RCB.

Nehra's role

It is believed that Kohli has played a big part in getting his fellow Delhiite on-board. And while Bharat Arun is set to join the Indian team, Allan Donald has quit the franchisee, leaving the team without a bowling coach - a role which Nehra is expected to take up along with being the mentor.

Reportedly, Nehra has shared the news with his close friends and family and the same was discussed at Zaheer Khan's wedding reception as well. The news has not yet been made official, but in any case, Nehra's involvement with the team will help budding bowlers hone their skills under the watchful eyes of someone as experienced as the former India international.