IPL 2022: Rajasthan Royals appoint Lasith Malinga as their new bowling coach

Ahead of IPL 2022, Rajasthan Royals have appointed Sri Lanka legendary pacer Lasith Malinga as their new fast-bowling coach.

Malinga will work alongside his former teammate Kumar Sangakkara, who is the head coach of Rajasthan Royals.

In a statement, Malinga termed his appointment as an absolute honour and said that it is a wonderful feeling to return to the IPL fold again.

"I am looking forward to supporting all the fast bowlers with the execution of their game plans and overall development," Malinga added.

Malinga retired as a player in 2021 and was regarded as one of the most successful bowler in the shortest format of cricket. He is the highest wicket-taker in IPL with 170 scalps.

In 2018, Malinga took the mentorship of Mumbai Indians' bowling unit while playing for the franchise.

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Meanwhile, the Jaipur-based franchise also appointed Paddy Upton as Team Catalyst.

"Upton will look after the mental well-being of the players by using various mental conditioning processes and activities, especially within the restrictions of being in a bio-bubble," Rajasthan Royal said in a statement.

Upton has returned to Rajasthan's coaching set-up after two years. Previously, he worked as Royals' coach from 2013 to 2015 and then in 2019.

Full list of Rajasthan Royals' coaching staff:

Kumar Sangakkara: Head coach
Lasith Malinga: Bowling coach
Paddy Upton: Team Catalyst
Steffabn Jones: High-performance fast-bowling coach
Trevor Penney: Assistant coach
Zubin Bharucha: Strategy, development and performance director
Dishant Yagnik: Fielding coach