Kumara Sangakkara may have become a part of international cricket history, but the cricketer in him is yet to retire. The Sri Lankan legend, with 12400 Test runs to his credit, is back to England’s village cricket after a crazy IPL 2026 season as Rajasthan Royals’ head coach. The 48-year-old is representing the Shillingstone Cricket Club in the third season of the tournament, and just like the old days, he is in the headlines again.
Sangakkara announced his arrival in style in the season opener against Broadstone CC, smashing 168 runs in a breathtaking display of strokeplay. His innings featured 16 fours and 11 sixes, meaning a staggering 130 of his runs came through boundaries. The remarkable run-scoring spree, it seems, has simply shifted from
the IPL to the English countryside.
Recently, Wisden Cricket highlighted Sangakkara’s exploits in one of its podcasts. But amid all the discussion around his batting masterclass, another detail caught the eye. The legendary wicketkeeper-batter was seen wearing a helmet bearing the BCCI crest and the Indian tricolour- clear signs that it once belonged to a member of Team India. As revealed by the podcast host, the helmet had been gifted to him by Yashasvi Jaiswal.
The Sanga-Jaisu Bond
Beyond an IPL franchise, RR has always been an institution for the budding cricketers of India. Jaiswal was one of them when he embarked on an unforgettable journey with the Royals in 2020. Sangakkara, one of the doorkeepers of the RR’s cricketing vicinity, helped the young Indian opener to grow and flourish all these years.
During IPL 2026, Sangakarra shared a key insight about Jaiswal’s batting phenomenon.
“He [Jaiswal] does things other batters can’t do, and that is just scoring runs in any condition and against any attack. I don’t think there’s any notion of [him playing] second fiddle. Jaiswal just needs to stay focused, smile, relax and enjoy his batting. Every time he does that, he does well for us,” Sangakkara said.
Jaiswal finished the season with 427 runs in 16 games, 3 half-centuries and 18 sixes.
![[Watch] Kumar Sangakkara plays village cricket wearing helmet gifted by Yashasvi Jaiswal](https://glance-mob.glance-cdn.com/public/cardpress/binge-magazine-card-generation/spaces/IN/en/crictracker-spaces/images/ppid_49c02804-image-178178504733094770.webp)
