Reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champion Kolkata Knight Riders have been desperate in their hunt to replace mentor Gautam Gambhir, who left earlier this summer, following the title-winning run this season, to join the Indian men’s cricket team as the new head coach. They reportedly tried to strike a deal with former India head coach Rahul Dravid, before approaching Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara. However, Rajasthan Royals dropped a subtle hint on Friday to deny the rumours about Sangakkara following the announcement of Dravid’s arrival.
Amid month-long rumours, Rajasthan confirmed Dravid’s return to the franchise as the head coach on Friday. He was previously part of the IPL team between 2011 and 2015 in various roles. Having joined the Royals 13 years back, he led the side in 2012 and 2013, before becoming the team’s mentor in 2014 and 2015.
Following the announcement on social media, RR also posted a tweet with a graphic of Dravid and Sangakkara shaking hands, while the caption read: “This is going to be exciting!” and the picture also mentioned, “New eRRa.”
Moreover, a statement from RR’s press release stated: “The former Royals’ captain and coach spent five seasons with the franchise from 2011 to 2015, and will commence with the team immediately, working with Royals’ director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara to implement the franchise’s overall cricketing strategy.”
What was the rumour about Sangakkara?
Reports have long claimed that the former Sri Lanka captain wants to part ways with Rajasthan Royals before the start of the 2025 season of the IPL. He was earlier linked to the white-ball head coach role of the England men’s team before the ECB named Brendon McCullum for the role.
On Wednesday, a report in the Telegraph said that KKR is in talks with Sangakkara, who has served as the director of cricket at Rajasthan Royals since 2021. The report further said that Sangakkara is also considering offers from other franchises, with KKR to be told about the veteran cricketer’s decision over the next few days.
Sangakkara welcomes Dravid to RR
Amid the reports, the former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batter welcome Dravid back to the franchise after nine years.
Sangakkara said, “Rahul is one of the greatest players to have played the game, but what he has achieved over the past decade as a coach is extraordinary.”
“The characteristics that he possesses as a coach to nurture talent but also enable them to consistently perform at the highest level, will allow the Rajasthan Royals to further challenge for the title,” he added.
