Kumar Sangakkara is poised to take charge of Rajasthan Royals’ coaching staff, moving back into a hands-on role only weeks after Rahul Dravid left the franchise. Sangakkara has been Director of Cricket since 2021 and had already informally begun plotting next year’s campaign before Dravid’s decision became public.
Dravid – a former Royals captain and mentor – signed a multi-year deal following India’s 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, but the marriage never quite settled. After a poor 2025 season that returned just four wins from 14 matches, the franchise conducted what it called a “structural review”. In the brief August statement that followed, Royals said Dravid had been “offered a broader position” yet he had “chosen not to take”. There was no elaboration from either side.
Sangakkara’s record with Rajasthan is solid. While doubling as head coach between 2021 and 2024, he guided Sanju Samson’s side to two play-off appearances and, memorably, the 2022 final – their first since the title-winning year of 2008. A fifth-place finish in 2023 showed some regression, but they were back in the knock-outs a season later, bowing out in Qualifier 2.
Sorting the captaincy is the Sri Lankan’s first job. Samson, 30, has asked to be released following an injury-hit 2025 that limited him to nine matches and left him watching helplessly as the team slid to ninth on the table. Retained ahead of last year’s mega-auction for INR 18 crore (about £1.7m), he remains the most experienced player in pink. The Royals have sounded out several franchises over a possible trade, but so far nothing has stuck and there has been no public statement on the matter. The league’s retention deadline, usually late November, is still to be confirmed.
If Samson does move on, Sangakkara must identify both a new skipper and a reliable middle-order anchor – a double vacancy that could tilt auction strategy. The squad contains leadership options in Jos Buttler and Ravichandran Ashwin, yet neither is an obvious long-term fit. Local fans have floated the idea of grooming youngster Dhruv Jurel, though that feels a gamble in a tournament noted for exposing inexperience.
Behind the scenes the coaching group is taking shape. Former India batter Vikram Rathour is expected to continue as assistant coach after joining for the 2025 season, and Shane Bond should remain in charge of the bowling unit, having swapped Mumbai Indians’ blue for Royals’ pink in 2024. Fielding specialist Trevor Penney and analyst-coach Siddhartha Lahiri, both part of Sangakkara’s original support staff, are also likely to return.
Analytically, the Royals face two interconnected problems. Their strike bowlers conceded at more than nine an over in the powerplay last season, while their middle-order run-rate dipped below seven once Buttler or Yashasvi Jaiswal fell early. Resolving one without the other rarely shifts a team up the standings, so the auction purse – and Sangakkara’s influence – will be tested.
For all the uncertainty, there remains quiet optimism in Jaipur. Sangakkara’s presence offers continuity, and his track record of blending data with gut feel is well regarded. The coming weeks will show whether that reputation, allied with a refreshed backroom staff, can settle the Samson question and, in turn, restore the Royals to the business end of the IPL.
