IPL 2021: Rajasthan Royals remove Andrew McDonald as head coach, Trevor Penney appointed lead assistant coach

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Jaipur, Feb 21: Champions of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Rajasthan Royals on Sunday (February 21) parted ways with head coach Andrew McDonald after they mutually agreed "to move in different directions with regards to the leadership structure".

The Jaipur-based franchise also announced that they have drafted former Zimbabwe cricketer Trevor Penney as the lead assistant coach for the upcoming fourteenth edition of the tournament, scheduled to be held in April-May this year.

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"Everyone at Rajasthan Royals would like to thank Andrew for his efforts towards the IPL season 13," Jake Lush McCrum, COO, Rajasthan Royals was quoted as saying in a press release by the franchise.

In his coaching career, Penney has worked with countries like India, Sri Lanka, England as well as associate nations such as the Netherlands and the USA. Currently employed by the West Indies working with their white-ball teams, Penny is also a regular feature on the T20 franchise circuit with past experiences in the IPL, the Caribbean Premier League, and Bangladesh Premier League among others.

"He coached the team during an incredibly challenging COVID restricted period and we would like to wish him all the very best for his future endeavours with the Australian Men's Cricket Team and the Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred," he added.

Penney plied his trade as a player for seventeen years with the Warwickshire County Cricket Club before starting off on his extensive coaching career around the world. He will work with the Royals' Director of Cricket, Kumar Sangakkara, captain Sanju Samson and the leadership team comprising spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahatule, fast bowling coach Rob Cassell and fielding coach Dishant Yagnik.

Talking about Penny's appointment, Sangakkara said, "He's very experienced and understands the game very well which I am sure will help contribute to the players' and squad's overall growth. "I'm confident Trevor's appointment is going to set us on the right pathway and it will be wonderful to have him work with our squad.

"As part of the restructuring, Amol Muzumdar's role transitions to an out-of-season High-Performance Batting coach to support the squad and RR academies," the RR release added.