Months after parting ways with Rahul Dravid, Rajasthan Royals (RR) have given Kumar Sangakkara a dual role. In addition to Director of Cricket, Sangakkara will serve as head coach for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.
"I'm honoured to return as Head Coach and continue working with this talented group. I’m also pleased to have a strong coaching team alongside me. Vikram, Trevor, Shane, and Sid each bring valuable experience in their areas, and together we are focused on preparing the players in the best possible way," Sangakkara said in an official statement.
"We have a clear understanding of where we want to go as a group, and our aim is to build a team that plays with clarity, resilience, and purpose," he added.
Rajasthan Royals' coaching staff
Former India batting coach Vikram Rathour has received a promotion. Rathour is now lead assistant coach. Former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond will continue as fast bowling coach. Meanwhile, Trevor Penney and Sid Lahiri have returned as assistant coach and performance coach respectively.
"We are delighted to have Kumar return as Head Coach. As we assessed the team's needs at this stage, we felt that his familiarity within the squad, his leadership, and his deep understanding of the Royals' culture would bring the right balance of continuity and stability," said Manoj Badale, Lead Owner, Rajasthan Royals.
"Kumar has always had our complete trust as a leader. His clarity, calmness and cricketing intelligence will play an important role in guiding the squad into this next phase," he added.
Major changes in Rajasthan Royals' setup
After letting go of Sanju Samson via trade and acquiring Ravindra Jadeja’s services, RR are yet to announce their new captain for the IPL 2026. England all-rounder Sam Curran has been traded in from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as well. Another player who has been brought in via trade window is South Africa’s Donovan Ferreira who played for Delhi Capitals (DC) previous season.
Reportedly, Jadeja had asked for a leadership role. In the previous season, Riyan Parag had led RR in the absence of an injured Samson.
Rajasthan Royals’ list of retained players
Dhruv Jurel (wk), Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Nandre Burger, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yudhvir Singh.
Rajasthan Royals’ list of released players
Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana (both traded out), Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kunal Rathore, Ashok Sharma.
Rajasthan Royals' purse for IPL 2026 mini-auction
RR will go into the auction with Rs 16.05 crore in the bag. They have only one overseas slot to fill. They can rope in a maximum of nine more Indian players in the mini-auction that is scheduled to take place on December 16 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.