Rajasthan Royals finished ninth in IPL 2025.
Former Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara will replace former India coach and captain Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
Dravid, former RR captain, stepped down from the coaching role after just one year of his reappointment last year. It was understood that he was offered a broader role after a structural review, but refused to take the position.
Sangakkara has been serving the Royals as Director of Cricket since 2021. According to ESPNcricinfo’s report, Sangakkara is reportedly taking over the position with the franchise and has already begun planning for the upcoming season.
During his stint with RR, Sangakkara helped the Sanju Samson-led side to qualify for the playoffs twice in four seasons. In 2022, Rajasthan reached the final for the first time since their inaugural title triumph, but lost to the Gujarat Titans. While they finished fifth next year, they suffered a defeat in Qualifier 2 in IPL 2024.
The Sri Lankan has plenty of things to work on going into the IPL 2026 mini auction, including the sorting of captaincy, considering Samson has asked the franchise to release him.
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It is also understood that the franchise will retain Vikram Rathour as the assistant coach, and Shane Bond, the former New Zealand speedster, is likely to continue as the bowling coach. Bond moved to RR from the Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2024 season, while Rathour joined the franchise last year. Notably, Rathour was India’s assistant coach under Ravi Shastri and Dravid.
Trevor Penney and Siddhartha Lahiri, who were part of Sangakkara’s support staff, are also expected to rejoin.
Rajasthan Royals delivered an underwhelming IPL 2025 season after losing at least three matches that they should have won. The franchise finished ninth in the points table, managing just four wins and ten points.
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