Rahul Dravid appointed as the mentor of Delhi Daredevils

Delhi Daredevils, who parted company with former coach Gary Kirsten last December, were on the look-out for a replacement and seem to have found one in the form of India A and U-19 coach Rahul Dravid. The former Indian cricketer was associated with the suspended Rajasthan Royals team last year, who are now suspended from the tournament along with Chennai Super Kings.

The 43-year-old had recently guided the Indian U-19 team to the final of the World Cup, and has earned a lot of praises from all corners for his exemplary coaching and mentoring skills.

"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.

"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," Dravid was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Dravid will be joined by Paddy Upton, who was the assistant and mental conditioning coach with Team India during Gary Kirsten's tenure at the helm, as the head coach. Upton is known for greatly helping the Indian national team during their 2011 World Cup win, and he is also currently the head coach of the Pakistan Super League franchise Lahore Qalandar.

"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.

Zubin Bharucha (technical director), former India batsmen Sridharan Sriram and Praveen Amre (batting coaches), and former Tamil Nadu and India fast bowler TA Sekhar (bowling consultant) have also joined the new-look coaching staff at the Delhi outfit.