Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals have announced the appointment of Australian women's cricket legend, Lisa Sthalekar, as the 'Advisor - Youth Cricket' for their junior programmes.

Mumbai: Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals have announced the appointment of Australian women's cricket legend, Lisa Sthalekar, as the 'Advisor - Youth Cricket' for their junior programmes.

Rajasthan Royals had launched their youth programmes -- Royals Colts (for boys) and Royal Sparks (for girls) in October 2018. Sthalekar had flown down to Jaipur and was part of the felicitation ceremony for the selected youngsters.

Since the inception of the IPL, the Royals have been known for discovering young talent and giving them ample opportunities to develop and perform. Close to 3000 children attended the trials in Jaipur last year.

The selected group of girls and boys travelled to Nagpur for a high-performance training camp. They got opportunities to learn from the Rajasthan Royals coaches and attended several sessions on nutrition and mental conditioning.

In her new role, Sthalekar will be responsible for creating a year-round programme for the Colts and Sparks, which will include high-performance camps and competitions for the selected individuals. She will also organise school tournaments to introduce many more youngsters to cricket.

Speaking about her appointment, Sthalekar, who was a member of the Australia Women's World Cup-winning team in 2013, said, "I am extremely pleased to join Rajasthan Royals as an advisor. I am looking forward to my role of identifying and nurturing cricketing talent, especially the girls, so that they can make a mark for themselves in the cricketing world."

Welcoming Lisa to the Royals family, Ranjit Barthakur, Executive Chairman, Rajasthan Royals said, "We welcome Lisa to the Royals family and we are confident that with her efforts the team will continue to progress and excel in building a nationwide programme where every talented kid can come and showcase their skills, get mentored and trained by the best professionals in the sport."