PRESS RELEASE
Jaipur, 25 April 2024: Rajasthan Royals' Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara and Head Physiotherapist took part in a mentoring session with Rajasthan's young male and female cricketers spread across the Ranji team, U19s and U23s at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The closed-door session was conducted by the franchise in association with the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, in order for the Sri Lankan legend to impart his knowledge and insights on how to deal with various situations an athlete comes across during the span of his/her career, and tips on how to accelerate their overall development.
Earlier in March 2024, Hon'ble Sports Minister of Rajasthan Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, in the presence of Rajasthan Royals' Chairperson Ranjit Barthakur and Chief Executive Officer Jake Lush McCrum, had announced that Sangakkara will be mentoring the Rajasthan Ranji team to assist them in developing further.
The session was attended by both male and female cricketers including U23 captain Mukul Choudhary, U19 captain Sachin Yadav, Women's Senior Captain Priyanka Sharma, winner of Cricket Ka Ticket Aditi Chauhan, and Siddhi Sharma, who were seen engaging in a deep, free-flowing conversation with both Sangakkara and Gloster. The topics of the discussions ranged from what it takes to succeed at the first class level, to the importance of reading books in order to build character, to the challenge of adjusting to different formats, to the impact that fitness, nutrition and mental health plays in performance on the field.
The young cricketers were also seen asking the Rajasthan Royals coaching staff duo about the best ways to deal with failure and bad form, and the habits they can inculcate in their daily lives to help them focus on the game, but also spend enough time recharging mentally.
Kumar Sangakkara, Director of Cricket, Rajasthan Royals, commented, “It’s a great opportunity for us as a franchise to engage with the talented young cricketers of Rajasthan, and to be able to help them in their overall progression. When you’re young, you are always looking at gaining all the insights you can get to improve, and we are happy to be extending our hand to ensure that these youngsters can focus their energies on the right aspects and also find the right answers to their questions.”
The Royals are looking to continue supporting the grassroots development in the state through such initiatives and will continue to engage with the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs round the year to ensure overall accelerated development of the athletes and an improved sports ecosystem.
