Shane Bond, the former New Zealand pace bowler, has been appointed as Rajasthan Royals’ assistant and fast-bowling coach for IPL 2024. He has replaced Lasith Malinga, who returned to Mumbai Indians after serving two seasons as the Royals’ fast-bowling coach as well. However, Bond had joined Mumbai in 2015 and played an important role in the franchise winning four titles from 2015 to 2020.

“I’m delighted to be joining the Royals,” Bond said in a press release. “It’s a forward-thinking franchise that is determined to do well and I’m excited about being part of their vision. The bowling group is a great mix of youth and experience, and it will be awesome to work alongside them.”

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With this, Bond has ended his stint as head coach of MI Emirates, the Mumbai Indians-owned team in the UAE’s ILT20 as well. Under him, the franchise reached Qualifier 2 but lost to the champions Gulf Giants in the inaugural edition of the league as well. However, Shane Bond has been a part of the coaching set-up of several teams before also.

“Shane is one of the greatest fast bowlers of modern day cricket, and brings with himself a wealth of experience and knowledge having mentored some of the best in the business,” Royals’ director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara has shared. “He has served in the IPL and in India for a number of years and is well versed with the processes involved within the franchise ecosystem. He is someone who has a keen eye for helping the best become even better and we are delighted to welcome him to the franchise, and look forward to seeing the impact he can make towards moulding us into a title-winning team.”