Former Sri Lanka captain and wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Sangakkara will now hold a dual responsibility at the Rajasthan Royals after being appointed as the franchise’s head coach for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Earlier, the legendary batter held the post of Director of Cricket for the previous edition of the tournament. Sangakkara now replaces Rahul Dravid as the head coach, and he will be tasked with leading the team to its second IPL title win.
Sangakkara, 48, had previously served as the head coach of the Royals from 2021 to 2024, and he was succeeded by Dravid for the 2025 edition. However, after the conclusion of the last edition of the tournament, the franchise confirmed Dravid would no longer be at the helm.
Under Dravid, Rajasthan Royals finished ninth in the points table in IPL 2025, accumulating just 8 points from 14 games. The entire IPL 2025 campaign was marred by conjecture, as the rumour mills were rife with speculation about a possible rift between Dravid and Sanju Samson, which was later denied by the former.
Coming back to Sangakkara, under his leadership, the franchise reached the 2022 final and qualified for the playoffs in the 2024 edition.
“I’m honoured to return as Head Coach and continue working with this talented group. I’m also pleased to have a strong coaching team alongside me. Vikram, Trevor, Shane, and Sid each bring valuable experience in their areas, and together we are focused on preparing the players in the best possible way,” Sangakkara said in an official statement.
“We have a clear understanding of where we want to go as a group, and our aim is to build a team that plays with clarity, resilience, and purpose,” he added.
Vikram Rathour elevated
It can now also be confirmed that Vikram Rathour has been elevated to lead assistant coach, and he’ll work closely with Sangakkara on batting development, game plans, and overall team preparation.
Former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond will continue as the fast bowling coach, providing important continuity to the pace programme, while Trevor Penney and Sid Lahiri maintain their spots as assistant coach and performance coach, respectively.
“We are delighted to have Kumar return as Head Coach. As we assessed the team’s needs at this stage, we felt that his familiarity within the squad, his leadership, and his deep understanding of the Royals’ culture would bring the right balance of continuity and stability, said Manoj Badale, Lead Owner, Rajasthan Royals.
“Kumar has always had our complete trust as a leader. His clarity, calmness and cricketing intelligence will play an important role in guiding the squad into this next phase,” he added.
The Royals have already traded Sanju Samson to the Chennai Super Kings and gotten Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja on board. The franchise will now look to plug holes in the upcoming mega auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.hindustantimes.com ’
