Jaipur, March 19 (IANS) Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach Kumar Sangakkara said the franchise had worked to strengthen several areas of the squad ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, including batting depth and having more options in the spin bowling department.
RR had a forgettable time in IPL 2025, suffering 10 defeats and winning only four games to finish ninth in the points table. After releasing all their spinners before the 2026 season auction, RR found a bankable Indian spinner in Ravi Bishnoi, as well as getting all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran via a trade deal.
“Well, we needed to handle our skills outside in terms of a little bit of batting depth, local spin, all-rounders, and more options that we had to have in this bowling department — so that we can also rejig the batting line-up. So, that’s what we have tried to address.
“With the trades we have one and some of the auction buys, we managed to address the local spin department so that we can then start looking at different options in terms of overseas batters, overseas fast bowlers, and that gives us a little bit more flexibility. So, we have addressed quite a few of the things that we wanted to address,” said Sangakkara, while replying to a query from IANS in the pre-season press conference on Thursday.
The former Sri Lanka captain added that the focus now shifts to execution, as RR open their campaign against CSK at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on March 30. “But again, we can have all the bases covered, everything done, and now it’s really hard work where we try to get them all together, really believe in each other, and then really prepare well to start playing against the opposition. At the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding, and the strategy score is how they perform.
“But second to that, if everyone is here wanting to win, I do not doubt that — whether it’s Riyan and the team, or whether it’s a different team, the real question is to try and really solve the how – how are we going to do that? Then also, while doing that, I want this squad of players to have a wonderful time.
“You can’t just concentrate on results and have just the results validate you. Players can have great seasons, good seasons, or bad seasons. However, that doesn’t mean they’re bad players, because the whole point of recruiting players is that we believe they’re the best.
“Not just believe, the stats show that they are the best, and I want them to have a fantastic time with each other, really enjoy the ups and downs of the IPL, and really focus on playing the game at a time. I think once you try to break it down, the results will happen as they do, and we’re hoping that the results will be more of them now than not before,” he elaborated.
On the appointment of Riyan Parag as RR’s new captain post Samson’s departure, Sangakkara said the decision was based on his leadership qualities rather than sticking to a regional identity.
“I am going to say one thing — the homegrown part, whether he was from India or which part of India, there was nothing in our conversations about that. It was about finding the best person to captain and lead the part. I met Riyan when he was a teenager, and he is absolutely right. He has seen a lot, gone through a lot.
“The most striking thing for me was how reflective and mature he has become. So, Riyan Parag, the cricketer, I have always massively admired who he is. Even through the doubts, all I could see was where he could be, and that’s right at the top. But more importantly, I really came to admire the person that Riyan Parag is.
“When we wanted to select a captain, once Sanju had decided to leave, it was really important that we explored all options. So, we had a short list of candidates, and we used a very strict interview process. We went through it, and Riyan knows it wasn’t easy,” he elaborated.
He signed off by saying the entire RR management was in total agreement on making Parag the side’s captain. “The questions were hard — it was not just one conversation, but two and three. Then, at the end of the day, Manoj (Badale, RR lead owner) and I sat down and went through all of those conversations with each one.
“It became very apparent that the right choice, the right person to lead Rajasthan Royals, was Riyan. We were extremely happy to make that decision. The most important thing is that the whole franchise, everybody involved in that process, the team, the coaches, everyone understands and backs it one hundred percent that the decision was made because Riyan Parag is absolutely the right candidate to captain and lead the Rajasthan Royals.”
–IANS
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