Former India cricketer Sairaj is set to join the Rajasthan Royals as a spin bowling coach ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Sairaj previously worked with the Rajasthan Royals from 2018 to 2021 and has recently resigned from his position at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, also known as the ‘Center of Excellence’. With his extensive experience, he is expected to bring valuable expertise to the Rajasthan Royals team. Notably, he has also worked as a bowling coach during the Border-Gavaskar series in 2023.
Sairaj will be working alongside New Zealand bowling coach Shane Bond and head coach Rahul Dravid. He has previously worked with Dravid when the latter was the head coach of the Indian team. Dravid did not extend his tenure as a coach with the Indian team after the T20 World Cup 2024 and subsequently became the coach of the Rajasthan Royals. The cricket director of the Rajasthan franchise is former Sri Lankan player Kumar Sangakkara.
According to Sairaj, discussions are underway, and he is close to finalizing his participation with the franchise. Although some details still need to be worked out, he expressed excitement about joining the Rajasthan Royals again and working with Rahul Dravid. Sairaj has fond memories of working with Dravid during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in 2023, where he served as a spin coach. He was also part of Dravid’s coaching staff in Sri Lanka.
Sairaj has an impressive record in first-class cricket, having taken over 600 wickets. He made his Test debut for the Indian team in 2001 and played two Test matches, scoring 39 runs and taking three wickets. In ODI cricket, he made his debut for Team India in 1997, scoring 23 runs in 8 ODIs and taking two wickets. Although his international career was not long, his first-class cricket statistics are notable, with 6176 runs in 188 matches, including 9 centuries, and 630 wickets.
