IPL 7: Shane Watson to lead Rajasthan Royals, Rahul Dravid to be mentor

Rajasthan Royals on Monday appointed star Australian allrounder Shane Watson captain of the Jaipur franchise for the upcoming Indian Premier League in place of the retired Rahul Dravid who was anointed its mentorFormer India captain Dravid who retired from all forms of cricket last year will be involved in all aspects of cricket strategy mentoring the team and guiding youth and talent development initiatives for the franchise Royals announced in MumbaiShane Watson and Rahul Dravid File PicI am honoured to lead the Rajasthan Royals an extraordinary team which has always given me amazing opportunities said the 32yearold Australian on his new appointment for the upcoming IPL season scheduled to start next monthCompatriot Shane Warne and Rahul Dravid had a lot of faith in me while they were captains and gave me opportunities that helped improve my cricket I hope to live up to the confidence shown in me by the franchise and give our fans an exciting season of cricket he saidI would like to thank our fans for showing trust in me through their votes on the digital medium The Royals are one big family and I feel very privileged to be a part of such a special franchise he added about the franchises initiativeMy aim will be to continue playing our best cricket and maintain the winning momentum We all want to repeat the 2008 IPL success and last season we were quite close to that I am confident that we can do it again he addedWelcoming Watsons elevation Dravid described the burly Aussie as a player with top notch leadership skills I would like to congratulate Shane Watson on his appointment as the Captain of the Royals He is not only one of the worlds best allrounders but a leader par excellence the teams new mentor saidWatson has been with the team since the first season and is familiar with the players and the staff The Royals Squad is a bunch of extremely energetic and talented players who know their roles perfectly well and I am sure they will thrive under Watsons inspiring leadership Dravid addedWatson has been with the Royals since the inaugural season in 2008 Watsons strong performances helped the Royals win the IPL in its debut year when he played under Shane WarneThe stronglybuilt Australian displayed his allround skills and matchwinning performances in crucial ties and was eventually adjudged Player of the TournamentThe Queenslandbased allrounder continued to play an integral part in subsequent editions and in 2012 he played under DravidLast year Watson scored his first century in IPL and Twenty20 playing against Chennai Super Kings at the latters fortress the MA Chidambaram Stadium in ChepaukHis took the team to the playoffs that year with Watson winning his second Player of the Tournament awardWatson was the Player of the Tournament in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 for scoring a total of 249 with an average of 4980 while taking 11 wickets with the ballWatson has been Royals best allrounder notching 1785 runs in 55 matches scoring one century and 11 halfcenturies at a strike rate of 14559 In bowling he claimed 48 wickets with a best figure of 310 Royals CEO Raghu Iyer praised Watsons gritty demeanourWe are delighted to announce Watson as Captain He epitomises all the values of the Royals franchise with his true grit and neversaydie attitude His skills and experience will surely help the team build on the superb performance last season His presence in the team will also help young players like Sanju Samson Unmukt Chand James Faulkner Steve Smith and Tim Southee said IyerWed also like to thank our fans who have supported us unstintingly and came out strongly on the digital medium in favour of Watto as Captain for the upcoming seasons he saidFor the 2014 IPL season before the players auction the Royals had retained Watson Ajinkya Rahane James Faulkner Stuart Binny and Sanju Samson