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Nixon snubs Leicestershire for IPL stint

Paul Nixon won two County Championships and three Twenty20 titles with Leicestershire in 20 years with the county © PA Photos

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Paul Nixon, the former Leicestershire wicketkeeper, has taken up a role with Pune Warriors for next year's IPL meaning he won't take up a full-time position with his former county.

Nixon, 41, retired at the end of the 2011 season after winning the Friends Life t20 in August but he rejected the offer to become batting coach at Grace Road to take up a role in India.

"It was a massively tough decision," Nixon told the Leicester Mercury. "But over the last few years I have got involved in other things and I have had an offer from the IPL to go and coach. It's waiting to be finalised and I would have liked everything to have been done before I turned down the full-time role with Leicestershire. They came to me about the role, we have agreed terms and it's a case of running it past the board and getting contracts signed."

The IPL begins on April 4 and Nixon has a contract offer for 80 days. He is hoping this opportunity can lead to future work. "You go and show what you can do and add value to the organisation, and the players, and take it from there,"he said. "I know I can add value. I've got a lot of experience in Twenty20 cricket. You have to do a good job and enjoy it.

"I like to think I have a canny knack of winning trophies. It would be nice to win one with Pune Warriors, that's the plan," said Nixon, who won the County Championship twice with Leicestershire in 1996 and 1998 and three Twenty20 titles in 2003, 2007 and 2011. He also won the National League with Kent in 2001.

Leicestershire head coach Phil Whitticase said the door was not closed for Nixon at Grace Road. "Nico could not commit to anything because he had other irons in the fire, but he will be involved in some capacity."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.