Rajasthan Royals (RR) dropped a hint through a mysterious post on their social media just before the auction which is going to be held on December 16 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The team that won the IPL for the first time suggests Sri Lankan cricketing great Kumar Sangakkara to be the new head coach after the exit of Rahul Dravid.
Dravid quit as Rajasthan’s head coach in August. The ex-skipper left the position after only one season even though he had signed a multi-year contract. it’s worth mentioning that the franchise made it public that they had offered him a bigger role, but he turned it down. RR is still to put out an announcement about Dravid’s successor.
Rahul Dravid was appointed as head coach of Rajasthan Royals in 2025
Rahul Dravid came to Rajasthan for the 2025 season after realizing India’s triumph in T20 World Cup. He hurt his knee before the tournament and was giving his support to the team while on crutches. However, his coaching couldn’t lead the team to any wins.
Rajasthan Royals’ season was a disaster as they won only 4 matches out of their 14. Being at the bottom of the table for most of the season, they finally ended up at the 9th position. Due to Sanju Samson’s injury, Riyan Parag captained a few matches.
Rajasthan Royals continued their long title drought, as they did not lift the trophy again since their first win in 2008. Notably, Samson went to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) before the mini-auction. The Royals got all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in exchange.
Rajasthan Royals Share Cryptic Post involving Travis Head
Rajasthan Royals took to social media and created a stir through a three-part image posted on X. The image above showed yellow sunglasses, the number 11.11 in the middle, and Travis Head’s smiling face at the bottom.
The team kept silent but, nevertheless, fans were left to decipher the teaser of the franchise’s plans that are in motion for IPL 2026. The cryptic post almost immediately led to speculation about Kumar Sangakkara.
A lot of fans pointed out that the yellow sunglasses are his trademark, the number 11 corresponds to his jersey number, and they mentioned the picture of Travis Head in connection with the word “head,” thereby suggesting a possible head-coach role.
The fans started to present their interpretations on the internet, and probably the merged hints indicated Sangakkara taking over as the next head coach of Rajasthan.
Kumar Sangakkara Has with Royals since 2021
Several news outlets claim that the Rajasthan Royals are getting ready to fit Kumar Sangakkara into their coaching staff. Sangakkara has been associated with the franchise since 2021. He served as the Director of Cricket and also directed coaching from 2021 to 2024.
Under Sangakkara, RR made it to the playoffs on two occasions and also finished as runners-up in 2022. The coaching plan for the upcoming auction will be done by Sangakkara. Vikram Rathour and Shane Bond are likely to continue as part of the team.
Even though the franchise hasn’t officially said anything yet, the recent social media post has given rise to fan speculation. While the Rajasthan Royals are gearing up for big decisions ahead of IPL 2026, they will soon announce Sangakkara’s reinstatement as head coach.
