Ish Sodhi, the New Zealand legspinner, has been named by Rajasthan Royals as the spin consultant and operations executive for Indian Premier League 2020.
The legspinner will work with Royals’ spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahatule and Chief Operating Officer Jake Lush McCrum. The 27-year-old, who has played 40 T20Is for his country, was a part of the Royals franchise in 2018 and 2019 as a player, taking nine wickets combined in both the seasons.
“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 recognise 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,” Head of Royals Cricket Zubin Bharucha said.
Sodhi, on his part, is delighted on his new role and said that he has developed an understanding with the team, having been a part of the franchise for two years.
“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,” said Sodhi.
Spin bowling all-rounder Shreyas Gopal, who was the team’s best performer last season, also shared his excitement on Sodhi joining the franchise as a part of the support staff.
“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,” said Gopal.
