Rajasthan Royals (RR) have named former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara as the head coach for IPL 2026. Sanga will replace Rahul Dravid, who parted ways with the franchise earlier this year after spending just one season at the helm. RR have made widespread changes to both their squad and support staff in a bid to revamp the franchise before IPL 2026.
RR name Sangakkara as head coach
Taking to social media platform X, RR confirmed that Sangakkara will hold dual positions as the team’s head coach and the director of cricket. Former India batting coach Vikram Rathour has been promoted as the lead assistant coach while former New Zealand star Shane Bond will stay on as the bowling coach. Trevor Penney will return as an assistant coach while Sid Lahiri will be the performance coach.
In a video uploaded by RR on YouTube, Sangakkara said that it was important for the coaching staff to step up their game and give players the clarity. The former Sri Lankan captain was RR’s team director since 2021. Meanwhile, RR have traded their captain for over the years – Sanju Samson – to CSK for Rs 18 crore and have gotten Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in return.
“We want to win the IPL and that doesn’t change. To me that connection always matters. Being upfront with the players, making sure you are consistent and play each game with that excitement like it is almost the first game. Because sometimes things from the outside can look chaotic when in actual fact internally they are not,” Sangakkara said.
In August, RR claimed that Dravid had been offered a broader position at the franchise after a structural review but had turned it down. The franchise extended gratitude to the former Indian cricketer for his services to the team on behalf of the team members and fans.
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