MUMBAI: The newly formed Rajkot IPL Team announced its official name as ‘Gujarat Lions’ with Suresh Raina as its captain.

Raina will lead a star-studded side that will have former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum besides experienced all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner and Dwayne Bravo.

“Suresh Raina is a remarkable player with an impeccable record in all formats of the game. His extensive experience combined with his great leadership skills, will help us in putting together a winning strategy for the team”, said Gujarat Lions owner &  Intex Technologies director Keshav Bansal.

Commenting on his appointment as team captain, Raina stated, “I am honoured to have been chosen for this role. We already have some of the best cricketing talent in the team and I look forward to the challenges, the opportunity, the excitement, the energy and will lead from the front to ensure we have a great debut.”

On the other hand, Brad Hodge was named as the coach of the team while Arvinder Singh was named as the CEO of the team.

“We finalized Brad Hodge as the team coach on the basis of his successful contribution to the Australian National team and his excellent stint in IPL. I am confident that our team will benefit immensely from his guidance and mentorship”,  Bansal added.

Speaking about the team name, Bansal added, “Gujarat as a state has a rich cricketing history with a passion and commitment to the game that is unmatched. We have named our team as ‘Gujarat Lions’ to try and capture this spirit of Gujarat. The name brings an instant connect with fans not just across the state but all over the world. As do the Lions, we would like to rule the game of cricket.”

Along with the name and captaincy,  the team logo was also unveiled --  a Lion in golden yellow  and hues of red. The logo symbolizes pride, energy and prosperity with a uniquely styled ‘N’ that showcases creativity, innovation and cutting-edge of technology that defines brand Intex.