Rajasthan Royals, who won the IPL in 2008, have decided to add a big name of cricket to their operations side, as they named former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara as their director of cricket.
Sangakkara, who retired from cricket in 2015 and is currently the President of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), played in IPL for Kings XI Punjab, Deccan Chargers, and Sunrisers Hyderabad and also captained the said teams, has gone onto become one of the best administrators of the game.
Sangakkara, who played 134 Tests, 404 ODIs, and 56 T20Is for Sri Lanka from 2000-2015, will be responsible for overseeing the entire cricketing ecosystem of Royal's franchise including coaching structure, auction plans, and team strategy, talent discovery, and development, as well as the development of the Royals Academy in Nagpur, the franchise said in a statement.
"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," said Sangakkara while commenting on his appointment.
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"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.
Newly-appointed captain Sanju Samson said: "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 associates with him is 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," Samson added.
Welcoming Kumar to the family, Mike Fordham, Group CEO Rajasthan Royals, said: "Kumar brings a wealth of cricket knowledge both as a player and a leader. We are thrilled to have him join the team and we are confident that Kumar will motivate, challenge, and inspire our players and coaches that will translate to success on the field."
(IANS inputs)
