Cricket
Ryan Harris Image Credit: Supplied picture

Dubai: Ryan Harris, former Australian fast bowler, will be returning to the IPL this season as the new bowling coach of Delhi Daredevils.

James Hopes, who was the team’s bowling coach in 2018 and 2019, will be unable to travel with the team this year owing to personal reasons, the Delhi-based franchise said.

“I am delighted to be back in the IPL,” Harris said. “This is a huge opportunity for me to contribute to the franchise’s ambitions of lifting the coveted IPL trophy. The Delhi Capitals side has an impressive bowling line up, and I can’t wait to start working with them all.”

Capitals, who showed a turnaround in their fortunes in making the play-offs in 2019 after a long gap, had taken extra care to beef up their pace bowling department this season after Kagiso Rabada’s injury threatened to derail their campaign. While senior Indian paceman Ishant Sharma will spearheading the attack, Rabada will be joined by his South African compatriot Anrich Nortje, who came in as a replacement for England allrounder Chris Woakes. The squad also boasts of West Indies speedster Keemo Paul and Mohit Sharma.

A late entrant in international cricket, Harris has 113 Test wickets, 44 ODI wickets, and 4 T20I wickets to his name. In 2009, he won the IPL with the Deccan Chargers. Injuries forced him to announce his retirement in 2015. Since then, Harris has undertaken coaching assignments with the Australian team, Big Bash League side Brisbane Heat, and even Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.

He joins the Delhi Capitals coaching staff featuring Ricky Ponting, Mohammad Kaif, Samuel Badree and Vijay Dahiya.

This year’s IPL is slated to be played across three venues in the UAE - Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah - from September 19 to November 10.