IPL 2021: Kumar Sangakkara appointed director of cricket by Rajasthan Royals
The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League would be played in April-May. Rajasthan Royals is a former champion, having won the title in 2008. Kumar Sangakkara previously played for three franchise in the IPL but was never a part of a title-winning campaign.
FollowA former champion of the Indian Premier League, Rajasthan Royals has roped in legendary Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman, Kumar Sangakkara, as its new director of cricket. He would be in charge from the 2021 season, slated to be held in April-May.
The news was confirmed by RR in a press release, where it stated that Sanga would oversee the cricketing ecosystem of the franchise, that includes the coaching structure, along with auction plans and team strategy, besides managing talent discovery and development. He is also supposed to handle the advancements at the Royals academy, in Nagpur.
Speaking on his appointment, Sanga said, “It’s a privilege to be joining the Rajasthan Royals and I am excited about the new challenge. To oversee the cricket strategy of a franchise in the leading cricket competition in the world, as well as building the development programs and cricketing infrastructure that will provide the future foundation of the IPL team’s on-field success, is an opportunity that really motivated me.”
“I have really enjoyed speaking to the leadership group over the recent weeks and can’t wait to get going. The team includes some of the world’s best players and great personalities, so it’s going to be fun and very exciting to work with this group,” he added.
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Sanga has been a part of the IPL for six seasons, where he played for Kings XI Punjab, Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Although he never won the title, he had a fecund career, scoring 1,687 runs in 68 innings at an average of 25.9.
Meanwhile, RR skipper, Sanju Samson was delighted as well on having Sanga on board, as he perceived, “I’m delighted that Kumar has come on board and we already had some great conversations together. He (Sangakkara) is someone who has had an exceptional cricket career himself and obviously understands the modern game. It’s great to have an all-time wicketkeeping great with us, he is someone who’s donned many hats, he was a fantastic keeper-batsman, he’s led Sri Lanka with grace and class throughout and has done it for years with the Sri Lankan national team across formats.”
“He’s someone who’s shown great character both on and off the field and the values that one associate with him are the same which we embody here at Rajasthan Royals. It is wonderful to have someone like him at the helm and is going to be fantastic to learn from him. I can’t wait to get started and work with him in the coming seasons,” he concluded.
