Kumar Sangakkara set to leave Rajasthan Royals© BCCI/Sportzpics
Rahul Dravid's return to Rajasthan Royals as a coach has resulted into a big shuffle in the franchise's management. With former Team India batting Vikram Rathour, who is also reportedly set to join him among the support staff, it has been reported that the franchise's Director of Cricket Operations, Kumar Sangakkara, is looking for an exit. In fact, a report has claimed that Sangakkara has already begun talks with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the mentor's role, hoping to replace Gautam Gambhir, who left the spot vacant to become Team India's head coach.
KKR are scheduled to undergo a big change in support staff, with Gambhir as well as assistant coach Abhishek Nayar deciding to join the Indian men's cricket team. The Knight Riders only have Chandrakant Pandit as head coach at present and Bharat Arun as bowling coach. KKR's fielding coach Ryan ten Doeschate has also joined Gambhir's support staff in the Indian team.
As per a report in Telegraph India, KKR are in advanced talks with Sangakkara for the mentor's role, though the Sri Lanka great also has offers from some other franchises. A decision is expected to be finalised in the next few days.
Sangakkara has been one of the pillars in Rajasthan's consistent performances over the last few years. Sangakkara joined the Royals in 2021 and helped the team qualify for the IPL final in 2022 under Sanju Samson's captaincy. In IPL 2024 season, Rajasthan finished in the No. 3 position in the points table before defeating Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator. But, the franchise couldn't reach successive IPL finals.
If Sangakkara does decide to join KKR, a full circle of coaching changes would be complete, involving the former Sri Lanka captain, Gautam Gambhir, and Rahul Dravid, with the three replacing each other in different coaching setups, connecting IPL and international cricket.