Kumar Sangakkara admits Rajasthan Royals could have done without the last fortnight’s unwanted headlines, yet the head coach insists the blemishes have been dealt with and the cricket remains on track.
“I think it is, of course, a reflection that is not positive on the team, a controversy of any kind,” he said in Jaipur on Thursday, 24 hours before RR meet Delhi Capitals. “All I can say is that both those have been addressed by the BCCI and the franchise. And then in terms of the culture, we always try to have a very positive healthy culture. We have our own values we adhere to. And the constant reminder to the players is to make sure they’re responsible to the franchise and to our culture and our values.”
Two lapses triggered that response. First, captain Riyan Parag was seen vaping in the dressing-room during the win over Punjab Kings, an offence that cost him 25 per cent of his match fee and one demerit point. Earlier in the campaign team manager Ravinder Singh Bhinder was fined INR 1 lakh after using a mobile phone in the dug-out – a breach of the anti-corruption code.
Sangakkara did not duck either incident, but he was more eager to discuss cricket. The Royals sit fourth, six wins from nine, yet Parag’s own returns – 117 runs at 14.62 and a strike-rate of 124 – have provoked questions.
“I think he’s done really well as a captain,” Sangakkara offered. “And also in the last game, his little innings is what really shifted the momentum our way. He was fearless, he went out there in tough conditions and really brought the [required] rate and momentum back in our favour. Those are the impactful innings that I want to see from Riyan. His skill with the bat is not questionable at all. And sometimes it takes a while as a batter to get in. So all I want to do is enjoy his batting and you can’t bat like a captain. You have to bat like Riyan Parag, the batter, and you’re only captaining when you’re fielding. So that separation of roles and to go and bat without any pressure, any expectations, and do what the side requires is what he’s concentrating on, and he showed good signs in the last game.”
That cameo – 29 from 16 balls, including two fours and two sixes – nudged a chase of 223 back into RR’s grasp before Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey finished the job. The strike-rate was handy; the timing, Parag later admitted, “less than perfect but getting there”.
Royals supporters will hope that promise turns into something bulkier against Delhi, who arrive on 1 May. A win would keep RR comfortably inside the top four before the last stretch of the league stage; a stumble risks an unnecessary scramble.
Either way, Sangakkara’s message is simple enough: clear the noise, stick to the plan. It is not catchy, but, as he pointed out, it usually works.
