Bengaluru, Oct 17 (IANS): Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will become the first team in the league to have a woman in the support staff in the 13th edition. The franchise has appointed some well-acclaimed tacticians and to take this legacy forward, they have appointed Navnita Gautam as sports massage therapist.

Bengaluru, Oct 17 (IANS) Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will become the first team in the league to have a woman in the support staff in the 13th edition. The franchise has appointed some well-acclaimed tacticians and to take this legacy forward, they have appointed Navnita Gautam as sports massage therapist.

Navnita will be working with Evan Speechly, the head physiotherapist and Shanker Basu, strength & conditioning coach to identify, evaluate, provide guidance and implement massage therapy to suit the team and any relevant prevailing conditions.

She will be responsible for performing specialized techniques pertaining to the preparation, motivation, overall supervision and all individual physical ailments relating to the team.

On the appointment, Sanjeev Churiwala, chairman of the franchise, said: "I am very pleased to be a part of this moment in history and another step in the right direction. The game has come a long way, in many ways, in terms of the women's cricket team and how many people are watching it, the interest was long due.

"Sport is a great enabler, but it is important to ensure that the principles of equity in participation also extends to its staffing bodies. Increasing participation and success by women in all sporting arenas have made this possible and we at RCB are very thrilled to have found great talent in Navnita."