Rajasthan Royals have had a number of disappointing seasons in the Indian Premier League, but with a new-look and well-balanced group, the side from Rajasthan has laid a solid foundation on which to develop in the coming months.
Kumar Sangakkara, the Royals’ Director of Cricket and Head Coach, is one of the primary catalysts in the franchise’s off-field makeover and is looking forward to an exciting season.
“We knew we had a lot of work to do with our squad over the off-season.” I believe we were able to identify the major areas that required our attention, and by following a thorough procedure when it came to picking players at the auction, we were able to meet the goals we set for ourselves. “I believe the franchise has done an incredible job putting together this dynamic and talented group,” the Sri Lankan icon stated.
“We’ve got the two greatest spinners in the IPL in terms of off-spin and leg-spin in Chahal and Ashwin,” Sangakkara said of his team’s composition. Boult, Prasidh, Saini, Coulter-Nile, and McCoy make form an intriguing pace unit, which is bolstered by the retentions of Yashasvi, Samson, and Buttler. We have depth in every sector, with promising players like Neesham, Mitchell, and van der Dussen.”
“From India, we’ve got some incredibly interesting and youthful cricketers.” The most important thing is that we have a really capable team. We attempted to nail the core and cast the right people in the appropriate parts. But today, regardless of the team, the most important thing is real match performance on the field, and how we can give everyone the freedom to go out there and play,” Sangakkara said.
“I believe there were a lot of different reasons behind it, not just one or two,” Kumar said when asked what the squad learnt from last season’s poor second half. It might have been due to player availability, a divided tournament, a longer break, or poor match results in terms of batting or bowling. But that is no longer the case, which is why the squad has altered. We’re now concentrating on the approaching weeks.”
“My goal basically is to bring value to the franchise either myself or through others that I would suggest,” the former Sri Lankan captain said of the appointments of his compatriot Lasith Malinga and Paddy Upton to the Royals’ coaching staff. It’s all about the value that individual adds and how they can always assist us develop. The standards of both Lasith and Paddy are quite evident to everyone. They’ve had fantastic careers with their individual clubs and may prove to be crucial components in our quest for the championship.”
“Lasith has a strong history as one of the best T20 bowlers in the world, as well as having taught a number of young Indian bowlers. While everyone understands the value of mental conditioning and unit cohesiveness, particularly in the IPL and in a COVID scenario, not everyone understands the necessity of physical fitness. So, these were relatively clear picks for us to make, and we are thrilled to have them. We want to see their effort translate into performances on the field,” the 44-year-old continued.
“Other than the obvious aim of winning the trophy?” Kumar answered when asked what goals he has set for the club this season.
“Our goal is to play terrific cricket,” he said, “and we have our own performance criteria that we’ll use to match each individual’s and team’s performance after each match.” It’s just a matter of making sure we’re ready. In the end, the outcomes will be the same, but we need to play some good competitive cricket and enjoy the game.”
“He’s a tremendous loss for the cricket world, a great loss for cricketers throughout the globe, because he was such an accessible man, who had wonderful knowledge,” the left-hander added, referring to his close friend and Rajasthan Royals star Shane Warne. He was a great buddy, and I loved spending time with him and having chats with him. “I believe he will be missed by everybody.”