Kumar Sangakkara Tipped to Take Over as Rajasthan Royals Head Coach in 2026, Succeeding Rahul Dravid

Sri Lankan batting great Kumar Sangakkara will return to Rajasthan Royals to lead the coaching staff after the exit of Rahul Dravid as head coach.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Sangakkara, who has been RR's Director of Cricket since 2021, is set to fill the void left by Dravid's departure, and has already started planning for the 2026 season.

Since joining RR in 2021, Sangakkara has doubled up as the head coach, and the Sanju Samson-led franchise made the playoffs twice in four seasons under his watch.

In 2022, RR reached the final for the first time since wining the IPL in the inaugural season in 2008, but lost to Gujarat Titans in the title clash.

After finishing fifth in 2023, RR reached the playoffs the following season, when they lost in Qualifier 2.

Dravid, who captained RR in 2012 and 2013, and then took up the role of mentor in 2014 and 2015, was hired as head coach by the franchise right after he guided India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title triumph as the team's head coach.

Sangakkara's top priority will be to resolve RR's captaincy after Samson requested the franchise to release him after the 2025 season.

In the last edition, Samson only played nine games due to a side strain that he sustained in the early part of the season.