Sri Lanka legend to join Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2025 auction

A Sri Lankan legend is reportedly joining Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of IPL 2025 as a mentor, a position vacant in the group. He was previously with Rajasthan Royals (RR) but might part ways with the franchise this season.

According to a report by The Telegraph, Kumar Sangakkara, who was serving as Director of Cricket at RR, might leave the franchise and join the three-time champions KKR. Previously, Gautam Gambhir held the position of mentor but is empty now with him joining the Indian team.

Apart from Gambhir, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate also left the KKR group to join the Men in Blue’s coaching department. That left the KKR’s bowling unit almost blank.

They have Chandrakant Pandit as the head coach and Bharat Arun as the bowling coach but require a couple of coaches to complete the group. The report also mentioned that Sangakkara is considering offers from a few other franchises as well, but KKR are in advanced talks with him and might take him in their coaching team.

Meanwhile, Kumar Sangakkara’s position will reportedly be taken by Rahul Dravid, who left the Indian team after their triumph in the T20 World Cup 2024. Vikram Rathour, who served as the batting coach under Dravid, will also re-partner with him at the Royals.

Initially, a few reports suggested that Sangakkara might continue with other franchises of Royals. However, Sangakkara seems to be leaving them and looking for new ones ahead of the next season.

Sangakkara has previous experience running the franchise, for he did it successfully with Rajasthan Royals, turning them into serial winners and taking them to the playoffs twice in three seasons. Similarly, Dravid also led the Indian team successfully, culminating in the T20 World Cup trophy in his final assignment.

Meanwhile, the BCCI might announce the number of retentions for each franchise this month. A lot is happening in every team ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, and the movement is expected to continue, with almost every side making significant changes in the personnel and coaching department.