Rahul Dravid appointed as Delhi Daredevils mentor

Rahul Dravid, former Indian captain, was appointed by Delhi Daredevils as their mentor, on Tuesday (March 1), for the upcoming ninth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Delhi-based franchise have also roped in Paddy Upton, former South Africa and India mental conditioning coach, as their head coach to replace Gary Kirsten at the helm.

Kirsten's two-year stint as the head coach of the Delhi-based franchise came to an end on December 7 after the team management announced the termination of their contract with the former India coach.

"We are privileged to have Rahul joining Delhi Daredevils as a mentor. His deeds as a player are legendary. Now in his post-retirement phase Rahul has taken up the arduous tasks of guiding India A and India Under-19 squads. He has made an instant impact in his new avatar too. We are very lucky to have a player of his stature in our midst. He brings in calm and experience to the dressing room and with a young looking Daredevils squad he will bring an immediate impact," Delhi Daredevils Business Chairman Kiran Kumar Grandhi said.

"Paddy has had a successful career as head coach for T20 franchises around the world. This was most visible in the recently concluded Big Bash League, as he guided Sydney Thunder to their maiden title. He has grown in stature from starting as a trainer to being the mental conditioning coach of the Indian squad and eventually the Head Coach. Zubin, on the other hand, with his years of technical experience brings in his strategic inputs and an eye for spotting young talent. We are confident that our Coaching/Support Staff this year which is primarily Indian in nature will be able to bring their knowledge to the fore and our young players will benefit immensely from it," added Grandhi.

Dravid revealed his excitement on being named the mentor of Daredevils."I am very excited by the challenge of taking Delhi Daredevils on to the next level. From what I have seen I have been impressed by the ambition and energy demonstrated by the team and I look forward to working with a group of players that I believe have what it takes to succeed," Dravid said.

"Along with the rest of the support staff, I am fully aware of what this franchise means to its supporters and I intend to do everything possible to help build a team that the fans can be proud of."

New head coach Paddy Upton sounded very happy at the prospect of working with Dravid again after the duo worked in a similar capacity for the now-defunct Rajasthan Royals. "I relish the privilege to work again with Rahul and Zubin, and to have the opportunity to do so at a franchise like Delhi Daredevils. I am constantly learning about the Twenty20 format as I move around the world, and look forward to applying and furthering this knowledge at the coming IPL season with Delhi," Upton said.

IPL 2016 is pencilled to begin on April 9, following the completion of the ICC World T20.