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The former Sri Lankan captain will be taking charge of his second season at the
Royals ~
Mumbai, 17 March 2022: Royals Sports
Group-owned franchise Rajasthan Royals have had a couple of below-par seasons
in the Indian Premier League, but with a new-look and balanced squad, the team
from Rajasthan has given itself a strong base to build on, in the
next couple of months. The Royals’ Director of Cricket and Head Coach, Kumar
Sangakkara, is one of the key catalysts in this off-field transformation of the
franchise and is hoping for an exciting season.
“We know we had quite a bit
of work to do in the off-season with regards to our team. I think we managed to
identify the key areas which needed our attention and having had a proper
process when it comes to selecting players at the auction, we managed to kind
of hit the markers that we set for ourselves. I think the franchise has done an
amazing job to put this exciting and strong squad together,” said the Sri
Lankan legend.
Commenting on the make-up of
his squad, Sangakkara added, “We’ve got the two best spinners in the IPL in
terms of off-spin and leg-spin in Chahal and Ashwin. We have Boult, Prasidh,
Saini, Coulter-Nile, McCoy, which makes up for a very exciting pace unit
supported by of course the retentions of Yashasvi, Samson and Buttler. We have
secured depth in every department, with Neesham, Mitchell and van der Dussen
being exciting cricketers.”
“We’ve got some really
exciting and young cricketers from India as well. The main thing is that we
have a very competent side. We tried to get the core right and get the right
players for the roles. But now, the main thing irrespective of what the squad
is, is actual match performance on the field, and how we can give everyone the
freedom to go out there and perform,” expressed Sangakkara.
Asked what the team learned
from last season’s disappointing second part of the campaign, Kumar said, “I
think there were a lot of different reasons for that, not just one or two.
Whether it was player availability, split tournament, bigger break, and not the
best of match performances in terms of batting or bowling. But that is all in
the past now, and that's why the squad has changed. We are now focused on the
upcoming few weeks.”
Explaining the additions of
his compatriot Lasith Malinga and Paddy Upton to the Royals’ coaching staff,
the former Sri Lankan captain said, “My job really is to add value to the
franchise through myself or through people that I would recommend. It's first
about what value that person brings and how constantly they can help us
improve. It's pretty obvious for everyone to see the standards of both Lasith
and Paddy. They’ve had stellar careers with their respective teams in their
jobs and can prove to be vital elements in our quest for the title.”
“Lasith comes with a
pedigree, being one of the greatest T20 bowlers, and having mentored a lot of
the Indian young bowlers as well. While, everyone’s aware of the
importance of mental conditioning and also having that cohesion between the
unit, especially in the IPL and in a COVID situation. So, these were pretty
obvious decisions for us to make and we are delighted to have them and hope to
see their work reflect into performances on the field,” added the
44-year-old.
Speaking of what objectives
he’s set for the team this season, Kumar responded, “Other than the obvious
ambition of winning the trophy?”
He went on, “Objective is
just to play good cricket - we have our own performance metrics that we’ll
match each individual's and the team’s performance after each match. It's a
case of ensuring that we're well prepared. The results will be results either
way, but we've got to play some good competitive cricket, and really enjoy the
game.”
Signing off with a mention
of his good friend and Rajasthan Royals’ legend, Shane Warne, the left-hander
said, “He's a great loss for the cricket world, a great loss for cricketers
around the world, because he was such an approachable guy, who had great
knowledge. He was a very good friend, and I really enjoyed my time with him,
the conversations we used to have. I think everyone will miss him.”
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