Rajasthan Royals (RR) co-owner Manoj Badale has finally broken his silence on the big decisions taken by the franchise ahead of IPL 2026. He addressed Kumar Sangakkara’s appointment as the new head coach after serving as director of cricket and also dismissed the rumours about the sale of the franchise.
Speaking about the changes, Badale explained the thinking behind Sangakkara’s role. “Tough decision (on coaching restructuring). Kumar Sangakkara has been a coach before. It was about simplification. No judgment on Rahul Dravid, who remains one of the greatest to have coached India,” Badale said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Sangakkara took charge after Rahul Dravid’s exit in August following a poor campaign in IPL 2025. RR finished the IPL 2025 season in the second-last position on the points table. Sangakkara will manage the team both on and off the field as head coach and director of cricket.
Badale also denied rumours about Rajasthan Royals being sold. “It’s been on for 17 years, nothing new there,” Badale said, clarifying that it is just an assumption.
The franchise also took some bold decisions to reshape its squad ahead of IPL 2026. Sanju Samson was traded to Chennai Super Kings in exchange for Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the mini-auction.
In the ongoing auction, RR signed uncapped players Sushant Mishra (₹90 lakh), Yash Raj Punja (₹30 lakh) and Vignesh Puthur (₹30 lakh). They also secured India spinner Ravi Bishnoi for ₹7.20 crore.
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