IPL 2026: Kumar Sangakkara appointed head coach of Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals have appointed Kumar Sangakkara as their new head coach ahead of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the franchise confirmed on Monday, November 17. Sangakkara, who until now served as the franchise's Director of Cricket Operations, will take over the coaching responsibilities after Rahul Dravid was recently bid farewell by the franchise.

Rajasthan Royals have made a major announcement ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The team has appointed Kumar Sangakkara as their new head coach. Before the auction, the franchise also made the biggest deal in IPL history, replacing captain Sanju Samson with Ravindra Jadeja from CSK via trade.

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Vikram Rathour will now be the Royals' chief assistant coach. Rathour has been retained by the franchise, although his role has been slightly changed ahead of the upcoming season. The biggest question for the franchise right now is how the Royals will proceed under a new captain, following the ouster of Sanju Samson for the first time. It is highly likely that star cricketer Ravindra Jadeja will captain the Rajasthan Royals in 2026, as the star all-rounder is making a comeback after eighteen years.

Rajasthan Royals 2026 Retention List

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal
2. Shimron Hetmyer
3. Vaibhav Suryavanshi
4. Shubham Dubey
5. Luan-Dre Pretorius
6. Dhruv Jurel
7. Rian Parag
8. Jofra Archer
9. Tushar Deshpande
10. Sandeep Sharma
11. Yudhvir Singh
12. Kwena Mphaka
13. Nandre Burger

Rajasthan Royals Trade

• Ravindra Jadeja (included)
• Sam Curran (included)
• Donovan Ferreira (included)
• Sanju Samson (dropped)
• Nitish Rana (dropped)

Rajasthan Royals team spots

Rajasthan Royals have retained 13 players and added three players via trade. All three players are all-rounders. Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, and Donovan Ferreira have joined the Rajasthan team via trade. Rajasthan has also released two players, Sanju Samson and Nitish Rana, via trade. The Rajasthan Royals have nine vacancies in their squad.

When and where will the IPL 2026 auction take place?

The auction for the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League will take place on December 16. It will be a one-day mini-auction. The BCCI has officially announced that the auction will take place in Abu Dhabi.

Also Read: BCCI announces IPL Auction 2026 date, venue, IPL team remaining purse