Rajasthan Royals pulled off a coup even before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 by appointing former Sri Lanka captain and pacer Lasith Malinga as their bowling coach for the season. Malinga has moved from Mumbai Indians and has the record for claiming most wickets in the history of IPL. 


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Rajasthan Royals will begin their IPL 2022 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Tuesday (March 29). Captain Sanju Samson is excited about the new-looks Royals this season and pumped up by the addition of Lasith Malinga to the coaching staff. 


“We have watched people like Lasith and (Kumar) Sangakkara in action while growing up. Lasith especially makes bowling look so easy. I have been really inspired by his mantra -- ‘There are only 2 types of batter – one is right-handed and other is left-handed and you need to only learn to bowl to two of them’. It is such a simple mantra and really inspirational,” Sanju Samson said during a virtual interaction on Monday (March 28). 



The Royals will play their first match Pune and Samson expects the conditions there to be slightly different from Mumbai stadiums. “Pune is an open ground and win will play a big factor. Also at the start of the tournament the pitches will be fresh because they have to last for 2 months. So we should expect some assistance for the pace bowlers as well,” the Royals skipper added. 


Samson was pleased by the form show by young Riyan Parag so far this season. Parag scored a whirlwind 47 during a practice game for the Royals. “When Riyan joined the team as a 17-year-old really excited everyone in the team. He is developing well every season and we are trusting him to go out and play his natural game this season,” Samson said about Parag. 


Asked about his own ambitions as the captain of the Royals this season, Samson said, “A captain is only as good as his team. We have to keep on learning and play with a fearless mindset.”