Rajasthan Royals appoint former India, NCA bowling coach for IPL 2025 – India TV

Rajasthan Royals announced the appointment of Sairaj Bahutule as spin-bowling coach for IPL 2025. The 52-year-old served the franchise from 2018 to 2021, before joining the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He played an important part at the NCA and also coached India on a couple of occasions, including in the white-ball series against Sri Lanka in 2024, when BCCI were still in talks with Morne Morkel. 

At Rajasthan, he will work alongside Shane Bond, who is the pace-bowling coach and will also reunite with Rahul Dravid. When the legendary cricketer was the head coach of the Indian team, he brought Bahutule into the national set-up and he was also part of the team during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Former India batting coach Vikram Rathour is also part of the Rajasthan franchise, as he has been appointed as the new batting coach. Meanwhile, former Sri Lanka international Kumar Sangakkara serves as the Director of Cricket.

Welcoming Bahutule to the set-up, Dravid noted his extensive coaching experience and deep understanding of the spin bowling art and added that he has proven his ability and his insights will help the cricketer tremendously in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.

“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.

Bahutule in the meantime believes that it’s a tremendous honour for him to be joining RR once again. He is eager to work alongside Dravid and other coaching staff and contribute to the team’s success in the forthcoming season.

“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 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,” he added.