Reports: Shane Warne to coach Rajasthan Royals in 2018 edition of IPL

If reports are to be believed, Australian legend Shane Warne is set to be back for the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the coach of the Rajasthan Royals. The Jaipur-based franchise, alongside the Chennai Super Kings, will complete their two-year suspension on July 14, 2017, and will be a part of the IPL next year.

Earlier on July 15, 2015, they Royals and CSK were suspended from the IPL for two years after some of their officials were found guilty of illegal betting. Raj Kundra, the co-owner of the Royals, and Gurunath Meiyappan of CSK were banned from all cricket-related activities for life.

With the end of the suspension term, the franchise has been planning ahead for their comeback. According to a report in the Indian Express, the team is in talks with Warne for the position of the coach-cum-mentor.

Incidentally, Warne had led the Royals to the IPL title in the inaugural season. It was under him that youngsters like Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja came to the fore. And, while the players who played under his captaincy at RR already rate him highly, the Australian himself had revealed that the first year with Royals was ‘one of the best things’ he had experienced as a cricketer.

“It was one of the best things I have ever experienced as a cricketer over 20 years of playing. It was the most satisfying and rewarding achievement. We had a wonderful squad. A mixture of good senior players, younger players, something we all cherished for a long time,” he had said.

Warne was not the first choice

However, Warne was not the first choice. According to the report, it was only after Rahul Dravid’s decision to stay with the India under-19 and India ‘A’ team that the spinning great was contacted by the Royals’ owners to be a part of their plans.