Kumar Sangakkara, a former captain of Sri Lanka and the current head coach of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, might step down from his position to become the head coach of England’s white-ball team. A report on Cricbuzz suggests that Sangakkara is the top candidate to take over from Matthew Mott as England’s new white-ball head coach. If Sangakkara moves to the national team, the Rajasthan Royals are expected to hire Rahul Dravid as their head coach.
Dravid, who finished his role as head coach of the Indian team in June 2024 after two-and-a-half years, previously played for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL from 2011 to 2013.
Matthew Mott, who became England’s white-ball coach in 2022, guided England to victory in the T20 World Cup in 2022. However, during his tenure, England was unable to retain their titles in the ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
He left his position last month, and since then, the team has been temporarily led by former top batsman Marcus Trescothick.
Recently, Sangakkara, who is the second-highest run scorer in one-day international cricket, was asked about the possibility of becoming the head coach for England’s limited-overs teams, and he didn’t dismiss the idea.
“My name has come up for some reason, but no one has actually approached me about it. I think the England white-ball coaching job is a great opportunity for anyone, but there are many qualified candidates. I’m very content right now. My experience with the Rajasthan Royals has been very rewarding, and I’ve really enjoyed my role over the past four years,” Sangakkara said in an interview with English media.
It is said that Sangakkara is friends with Rob Key, who is in charge of the England men’s team. Sangakkara also worked with England’s white-ball captain, Jos Buttler, at the Royals and they have become good friends.
Besides Sangakkara, people are also talking about former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff for the top position.
