Rajasthan Royals reportedly set to reunite with former head coach after Dravid's exit; Samson set to remain captain

Kumar Sangakkara has been tipped as the front-runner to succeed Rahul Dravid as head coach of the Rajasthan Royals following the latter’s exit from the role, with Sanju Samson set to remain the captain in the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

According to a report on Cricblogger, the Royals had contacted the legendary Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter immediately after Dravid put in his papers on 30 August after just one season in charge, which was followed shortly after the resignation of CEO Jake Lush McCrum.

Sangakkara had previously served as Royals’ director of cricket and head coach between 2021 and 2024, which included a runner-up finish in 2022, and had recently been linked to a role with the Lucknow Super Giants, where former India pacer Zaheer Khan is reportedly set to quit as mentor.

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A formal announcement from the franchise is expected to be made soon.

Samson set to continue as captain

The report adds that keeper-batter Samson, who is currently in the UAE with Indian team that’s playing in the Asia Cup, is set to stay as captain of the franchise, whose only IPL title came in the very first season in 2008.

Both Samson and the Royals had a forgettable IPL season earlier this year, with the team finishing ninth in the standings with 8 points in 14 games – avoiding the wooden spoon thanks to a slightly better Net Run Rate than five-time champions Chennai Super Kings.

Samson, meanwhile, had collected 285 runs at an average of 35.63 and a strike rate of 140.39, going past fifty just once in the entire season. He had suffered a rib injury early in the 18th season, which had forced him to miss a handful of matches – with all-rounder Riyan Parag leading in his stead.

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Later, the sensational debut of 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi at the top of the order alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal would force the Kerala keeper-batter to move down the order.

Samson also appeared to have had a breakdown in relations with Dravid during the course of the season, especially when he appeared to be sidelined from a team meeting conducted by Dravid during a game.

The events of the tumultuous season, thus led to speculations that the 30-year-old might part ways with the Royals ahead of this year’s mini-auction and begin a fresh journey with a new franchise.

Instead, the Royals have opted to rekindle the Samson-Sanga partnership while parting ways with Dravid, who had a successful stint with the Indian team from 2021 to 2024, during which the Rohit Sharma-led Men in Blue won the T20 World Cup and finished runners-up in the 2023 ODI World Cup.