After Ponting and Langer, Kumar Sangakkara opts out of applying for India head coach role

Kumar Sangakkara is currently serving as Director of Cricket for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has revealed that he will not apply for the post of Indian men’s cricket team head coach. Currently, the legendary cricketer is working with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) as their Director of Cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Earlier this month, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) invited applications to hire a new head coach for the Men in Blue. Currently, former Indian captain Rahul Dravid is serving as the head coach for the national team, but his tenure will come to an end after the conclusion of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in June. Notably, the BCCI has kept the deadline to apply for the post of head coach until May 27.

Dravid’s first contract with the national team came to an end after the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023, where India lost in the final against Australia. The BCCI then extended his contract looking at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in June.

With Dravid considering not to re-apply for the role, the BCCI has begun exploring big names for potential coaching roles. Earlier, few reports emerged that former Australian cricketers Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer were approached for the head coach role, but the BCCI secretary Jay Shah clarified that neither BCCI nor any other member approached Ponting or Langer.

I have not been approached: Kumar Sangakkara on applying for the India head coach role

Now, the 46-year-old Sangakkara has opened up that he hasn’t been approached for the India head coach role by any of the BCCI members. The current RR Director of Cricket further stated that he doesn’t have the time to commit full-time coaching job.

“I have not been approached, and I don’t have time to commit full-time to an India coaching job. I’m happy with my stint with  the Royals and let’s see how it goes,” Sangakkara was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

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