Newly Team Rajkot franchise for the next two editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been named ‘Gujarat Lions’, with the franchise officials making the announcement of the same at an event in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Indian left-handed middle-order batsman Suresh Raina has been picked to lead the side, whose first assignment will be the upcoming IPL 9, while former Australian cricketer
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Brad Hodge has been picked to coach the side. Aside from Rajkot, the Pune franchise has been named ‘Rising Pune Supergiants’, with Indian limited-overs captain MS Dhoni being named the skipper.
Raina and Dhoni played aside each other for tainted franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which has been banned for a total of two years along with Rajasthan Royals (RR).
According to reports, the Rajkot franchise had initially approached former India coach Gary Kirsten, who axed from his role with Delhi Daredevils, as well as current India A and India U-19 coach Rahul Dravid.
However, both parties turned down the offers, before Hodge finally accepted the role. Hodge has played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the past.
