In an attempt to turn their fortunes around, the Rajasthan Royals have announced that Kumar Sangakkara will continue to serve as Director of Cricket and return as head coach for the 2026 Indian Premier League season.
Following a poor ninth-place IPL 2025 result, Rahul Dravid's one-season stint came to an end as the team revealed the transfer on Monday.
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From 2021 to 2024, Sangakkara oversaw a time of renewed competitiveness while serving as head coach. Under his direction, RR made it to the IPL 2022 final and made a comeback to the playoffs in 2024, regaining a level of consistency that the team was unable to maintain in 2025.
Prior to the upcoming season, Dravid, who had been RR's coach in 2025, resigned.
"We are delighted to have Kumar return as Head Coach," said Manoj Badale, lead owner of Rajasthan Royals. "As we looked at what the team needed at this stage, we felt that his familiarity within the squad, his leadership and deep understanding of the Royals culture would bring the right balance of continuity and stability. 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."
Vikram Rathour has been promoted to lead assistant coach in Rajasthan's reorganized coaching staff, with an emphasis on tactical preparation and batting development.
In order to maintain consistency for the pace attack, Shane Bond is still the fast bowling coach. The support team is further strengthened by the return of Sid Lahiri as performance coach and Trevor Penney as assistant coach.
Sangakkara said he was thrilled to be back in the position. "I'm honoured to return as head coach and continue working with this talented group," he said. "I'm also pleased to have a strong coaching team alongside me. Vikram, Trevor, Shane, and Sid each bring valuable experience. 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."
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