Rajasthan Royals was always the franchise that I had keenly
followed, ever since watching the team win in that first season under Shane
Warne. It did have its ups and downs in consequent years, but it always had a
good, exciting young team, and then of course over the last two years, the team
has evolved into a very strong mix of international and local stars. It was such
a close tournament last season - from where the Royals finished to be getting
into the Playoffs was the difference of winning just one game, and I think the
team played a lot of very good cricket and has had lots of exciting
players over the years. There have also been some players who have basically
grown up with the franchise, Sanju Samson especially, who is captaining this
season. So, my overall impression from the outside was a very positive one, and
when I initially met Manoj Badale, the Lead owner, we did have a long chat, but
it was more about the franchise - its history and where it's headed. It was
interesting to hear what his ideas and philosophies were in this journey ahead,
and what he wanted to put in place, with the team he had around him, and the
team of players. So, basically that kind of duck-tailed into a conversation
around the role of a Director of Cricket.
Subsequently, he asked me if I would be interested in taking up the role, and
what really connected me to the Royals was that conversation in which I saw a
lot of passion, preparation, research, and a great kind of philosophy around
how the franchise wanted to evolve through this season, and even after the big
IPL Auction next year. I could see the kind of blueprint on which the team was
looking to build on, and of course I had these chats and subsequent chats with
not just Manoj, but other stakeholders, coaches, so on and so forth - people
that have been involved in the process up to now. So, it was only after that,
and with careful consideration of timing and time commitments, of what was
needed of me, my experience and what I could bring to the table, that led me to
finally say yes. It is an interesting challenge for me, it is not something
that I expected or really had in my horizons in terms of work, but I think
those conversations really resonated with me, and it was what really spurred me
on to say yes to the role.
However, I will be working with a slightly different dynamic this season
because of quite a few changes that we have had recently, so in my usual role
as the Director of Cricket, I would deal with everything that’s connected with
having an excellent structure for the Royals, along with communication and
reporting protocols, setting down an excellent culture, which is beneficial to
what we want to achieve. But this season, it’ll be a little hands-on in terms
of working really closely with the coaches and the players in both, training
and during the matches. Even though this season is a transitional one between
now and the big IPL Auction next year, it is still an important one for us. For
me, the key task is to focus on how we go about playing our best cricket this
year because this could be the first of many years where that structure will be
put in place, and the players and the core group of stakeholders will commit to
it, and really buy into it. Therefore, my role will probably have that duality
this season, but once we get all those structures in place, it will soon
graduate onto becoming what is traditionally a Director of Cricket role.
In terms of the squad we have right now at the Rajasthan Royals, I have to say
that I’m really pleased with it. I had just come on board a couple of weeks
before the Auction that took place in February, so it was quite a hectic time preparing
for it, but we had a lot of experienced heads which contributed to it and we’re
very happy with the squad. Of course, Jofra’s injury is a concern because he’s
one of our absolute leaders both on-field and off-field – and was the most
valuable player of the tournament last season. So we’re expecting him back
stronger and better as the season progresses, but the rest of the squad is very
exciting and promising - not just the new additions, but also the people who
have been here for the past two to three years, who have really come a long way
and would definitely contribute. We’ve got some great Indian players, have an
exciting captain in Sanju Samson who I think is a superstar player and is going
to be a great leader for us. We’ve got our international stars back, and also
some new additions to that. So, we have an exciting squad which is very well
balanced both in the bowling and batting departments.
Another thing that has struck me very pleasantly, has been the team
environment. What I’ve come to realize now is that it’s a very family, player,
person-oriented franchise that values not just the cricket that it plays, the
skills of the players, but also the players itself as people, and all of those
around them who support them. Being part of a cricket family is slightly
different to having your own family that you’ve grown up with. You need to have
that feeling of belonging, of being valued, of being able to speak openly, of
being able to confide in people, having access to your own family in terms of communication,
in terms of in-person – anything that we can provide to give them a sense of
belonging and that sense of comfort - is essential. We understand that life
inside a bio-bubble can be quite a complex thing because every bio-bubble is
different. You know being in your home country sometimes is a lot more
comfortable than being away, so having access to things that keep you relaxed
and entertained, and your mind calm, is also important. So, we have a lot of
things in place to address those factors, and we will try to make sure that the
players are feeling very comfortable and at home as we progress through the
season.
There is another person who is starting with a new role at this franchise, and
that is Sanju. For him, it is a new role with regards to captaining an IPL
team, but it is certainly a role of which he’s capable of and definitely ready
for. From the conversations I’ve had with him, I’ve only told him that for him,
it's more about confidence and making sure that he can separate his roles. So,
when he’s batting, he’s just Sanju Samson - the top-class, exciting batsman.
And when he takes the field as a wicketkeeper, that is when he really marshals
his troops, and influences what happens on the field in terms of strategic
bowling changes, and field settings etc. It is important for him to be himself
and not try to copy or be someone else. It is also important that we have a
complete trust between each other and all the coaching staff as well, because
Sanju is the ultimate leader and the decision-maker on the field, so we must
support him in every aspect and give him the strength, the confidence and the
clarity he needs to go out there and perform, not just for himself but also for
the team, the franchise and the fans.
We know that every team comes into the tournament wanting to win it, and that is no different for us going into our first match against Kings Punjab. The ultimate goal is to win the IPL trophy, but to get there, there is a process, whether we break it game-by-game or phase-by-phase, it doesn’t matter. It has to be something that is relevant to us and that is actionable by us, something that is easily understood by the players without any clutter, fear or doubt, and when we commit to it, to a strategy and a plan, we go out there and achieve it and do our best – that is our goal. Results can’t be guaranteed but what we can do is compete, execute our plans really well, trust ourselves and our teammates, and play with a lot of freedom, expression and enjoyment so we can bring a lot of joy and excitement to our fans, who I hope will keep watching and supporting us from the safety of their homes, and know that we really value your connect and your support.
- Kumar Sangakkara, Director of Cricket, Rajasthan Royals
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