Sangakkara Takes Over from Dravid as Rajasthan Royals Head Coach Ahead of IPL 2026

Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara will step in as Rajasthan Royals’ new head coach after Rahul Dravid’s exit. As reported by ESPNcricinfo, Sangakkara, who has been working as RR’s Director of Cricket since 2021, will now take charge of the coaching staff. He has already started preparing for the team’s 2026 season. Since joining RR in 2021, Sangakkara has doubled up as the head coach, and the Sanju Samson-led franchise made the playoffs twice in four seasons under his watch.

Rajasthan Royals made it to the IPL final in 2022 for the first time since their title win in the very first season back in 2008, but they lost to Gujarat Titans in the summit clash.

Sangakkara Takes Over as RR Head Coach, Samson’s Future in Doubt

In 2023, they finished fifth, missing out on the playoffs. The next year, they bounced back and reached the playoffs but fell short in Qualifier 2. Dravid, who captained RR in 2012 and 2013, and then took up the role of mentor in 2014 and 2015, was hired as head coach by the franchise right after he guided India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title triumph as the team's head coach.

Sangakkara’s main task will be to sort out Rajasthan Royals’ captaincy, as Sanju Samson has asked the team to let him go after the 2025 season.

Last year, Samson could play only nine matches because he picked up a side strain early in the tournament.

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