Upton named coach of Delhi Daredevils

The Delhi Daredevils will hope to recreate some Sydney Thunder magic in the upcoming Indian Premier League, appointing the KFC Big Bash champions’ coach, Paddy Upton, as head coach for the 2016 season.

The Daredevils have also called on the services of former India captain Rahul Dravid as team mentor to assist Upton, who led the Thunder to their inaugural BBL title in January.

The 47-year-old South African was in charge of the Rajasthan Royals last season, but was without an IPL coaching gig for 2016 after the team was suspended for the next two seasons following the match-fixing scandal that engulfed the franchise.

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Upton, who took over as Sydney Thunder coach for BBL|04 and led the team from also rans to title holders in the space of two seasons, will oversee Delhi's two Australian imports, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Joel Paris.

"Paddy has had a successful career as head coach for T20 franchises around the world," Delhi Daredevils Business Chairman Kiran Kumar Grandhi told ipl.com.

"This was most visible in the recently concluded Big Bash League, as he guided Sydney Thunder to their maiden title.

"He has grown in stature since starting as a trainer to being the mental conditioning coach of the Indian squad."

"We are privileged to have Rahul joining Delhi Daredevils as a mentor. His deeds as a player are legendary.

"Now in his post-retirement phase Rahul has taken up the arduous tasks of guiding India A and India Under-19 squads. He has made an instant impact in his new avatar too."

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Dravid said he was thrilled to be named as mentor of the side.

"I am very excited by the challenge of taking Delhi Daredevils on to the next level," Dravid told ipl.com.

"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."

Upton had a positive influence on the Royals in his tenure as head coach between 2013 and 2015, taking them from the bottom of the table to the Champions League Final in his first season.

Australians in the IPL

Delhi Daredevils: Nathan Coulter-Nile, Joel Paris  

Kings XI Punjab: Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis

Kolkata Knight Riders: Brad Hogg, Chris Lynn, John Hastings

Mumbai Indians: Nil

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Mitchell Starc, Shane Watson, Kane Richardson, Travis Head

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Moises Henriques, David Warner, Ben Cutting

Rising Pune Supergiants: Steve Smith, Mitch Marsh, Scott Boland, Adam Zampa, Peter Handscomb

Gujarat Lions: James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Andrew Tye