Kumar Sangakkara likely to part ways with Rajasthan Royals, Rahul Dravid likely to be next coach - Reports

Kumar Sangakkara was appointed the Rajasthan Royals coach in 2021.

In what could be a major change in the coaching department of the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Kumar Sangakkara might vacate his head coach position and Rahul Dravid could return to his previous franchise in the form of a coach.

Sangakkara has been the director of cricket and head coach of the Royals since the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. RR reached the IPL 2022 final, which they lost to Gujarat Titans.

In IPL 2024, RR finished third in the points table and lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2.

According to a report in Cricbuzz, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is considering Sangakkara to replace Matthew Mott as their white-ball coach.

Mott stepped down from his position after England’s semi-final exit at the T20 World Cup 2024, which followed their failure to reach the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup 2023.

Sangakkara, with his wealth of experience as a player and coach, has attracted the eyeballs of the decision-makers at the ECB. The Sri Lankan is believed to be close to Rob Key, the managing director of the England men’s team, and white-ball captain Jos Buttler.

Rahul Dravid likely to replace Kumar Sangakkara as RR’s head coach

Recently, Sangakkara said that the England white-ball coach role is an “exciting prospect for anyone”.

He said, “Well, I know my name has been mentioned for some reason, but there has not been any approach as such. I think the England white-ball job is an exciting prospect for anyone, but there are so many good candidates out there. I am very happy at the moment. The Rajasthan Royals experience has been very fulfilling and it has been a job I have really enjoyed over the last four years.”

RR would be happy to rope in Dravid, who recently coached India to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 trophy and has previously been associated with the franchise as player and coach.

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