New Delhi: Former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara is set to lead the Rajasthan Royals (RR) coaching staff after the exit of Rahul Dravid as head coach recently.
According to an ESPNcricinfo report, Sangakkara, who has been RR’s Director of Cricket since 2021, is set to replace Dravid and has already started planning for the upcoming season.
Since joining the franchise in 2021, Sangakkara doubled up as the head coach, and, under his leadership, the Sanju Samson-led side qualified for the playoffs twice in four seasons. RR reached the IPL final for the first time in 2022 since they won the title in the inaugural season in 2008, but lost against the Gujarat Titans (GT).
After finishing in the fifth position in 2023, RR qualified for the playoffs in the following season, but lost in Qualifier 2. Dravid was RR’s captain in 2012 and 2013, and then mentor in 2014 and 2015. He was hired as head coach by the franchise after he won the 2024 T20 World Cup as India’s head coach.
The former India coach signed a multi-year deal with the franchise, but his stint was short-lived, as he parted ways with RR recently. In a media statement released in August, RR stated that, based on a structural review of the franchise post the 2025 season, where they won just four matches out of the 14, Dravid was “offered a broader position” but he had “chosen not to take”.
The prime responsibility for Sangakkara will be sorting RR’s captaincy after Sanju Samson asked the franchise to release him after the 2025 season. It is understood that Samson told the franchise that he wanted a change and hence asked to be released ahead of the 2026 IPL mini-auction.
After suffering a side strain early during the 2025 season, Samson played only nine matches. The franchise finished the season in the ninth position despite being in the winning position several times.
Samson is the most experienced player in RR’s squad and was among the six players retained by the franchise ahead of the 2025 mega auction at a price tag of Rs 18 crore.
RR tried to trade Samson with several franchises offering a player swap deal, but wasn’t successful. Officially, the franchise has not made any comment on releasing its star player. The IPL retention deadline normally ends in November, but franchises are still waiting for a firm date.
Vikram Rathour, Shane Bond to continue
According to the same website, the franchise is also set to retain former India batter Vikram Rathour as the assistant coach, and the former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond is likely to continue as the bowling coach. Bond moved to RR from the Mumbai Indians in 2024. Rathour was India’s assistant coach under Ravi Shastri and Dravid, joining the franchise ahead of 2025. It is also understood that Trevor Penney and Siddhartha Lahiri, who were part of Sangakkara’s support staff at RR previously, are also set to return.
