Shane Warne ... Jaipur's captain and coach. - File

PERTH (AP):

AUSTRALIAN SPIN bowling great Shane Warne has long believed cricket teams don't need coaches, so he's becoming one.

Warne has taken on the role of captain-coach for the Jaipur franchise in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), having long derided the increasing influence of coaches at international level.

"Part of the reason of being captain-coach is that we won't need one," Warne said in Perth yesterday. "One of my strengths as a player is that I can get the best out of people. Speaking with the people at Jaipur they want me to do both the roles, so I suppose I just tick both boxes.

"Most sides have a captain, they have a coach, they have everything - but to me the captain runs the show on the field."

Warne will take his place among an illustrious group of coaches who will take charge of IPL sides.

His former Australia coach John Buchanan will lead one franchise while former Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody will guide another.

Warne a leader

Fraser Castellino, chief executive of Emerging Media, which paid US$71.85 million for the Jaipur franchise, said Warne was a leader who would maximise his players' performance.

"We were looking for a legendary cricketer whom all players will look up to," Castellino said.

"Shane's commitment and astute cricketing brain makes him one of the most respected cricketers in the history of the game."

Warne, who retired from Test cricket as the leading wicket-taker in history, insisted that Jaipur players like South Africa captain Graeme Smith and Pakistan's Younis Khan do not need to be told how to play.

"At first-class domestic level the coach is important, to educate the younger players, to groom younger players and to let them know what to expect," Warne said. "But at international level, you need a team manager-type person ... and the captain should run the show."

Warne never captained the Australian Test team after a series of off-field indiscretions, but was a successful captain in international one-day cricket and still at first-class level.