Rachael Haynes has been appointed as head coach of Women's Premier League team the Gujarat Giants, becoming the first Australian coach in the women's league.
Haynes retired in 2022 after a distinguished career in the sport, named vice-captain of the Australian team from 2017-2022 alongside winning six titles with the Australian team.
After announcing her retirement last year, Haynes confirmed that she wanted to remain in the sport, now given the opportunity to kick off her first international coaching job in the WPL's maiden season.
Haynes will be joined by bowling coach Nooshin Al Khadeer and battling coach Tushar Arothe, while Gavan Twining will come on board as a fielding coach.
Mithali Raj, Gujarat's team mentor and advisor, said the coaching additions were invaluable to the team.
"The likes of Rachael Haynes, Nooshin Al Khadeer, Tushar Arothe, and Gavan Twining will certainly take the performance of the team notches up," Raj said in a franchise statement.
"Not only have they carved a niche for themselves in their roles, but their stories of resilience will [also] be an inspiration for the team."
The WPL is set to get underway on March 4. The player auction, in which franchises have approximately $2.11 million to spend, will be held later in February.
