Rajasthan Royals reveal coaching staff for IPL 2023, Kumar Sangakkara to continue as head coach

The team from Rajasthan will continue to have the services of Kumar Sangakkara (Director of Cricket and Head Coach), Trevor Penney (Assistant Coach), Lasith Malinga (Fast Bowling Coach), Zubin Bharucha (Strategy, Development and Performance Director), Giles Lindsay (Head of Analytics & Technology), Siddhartha Lahiri (Support Coach) and Dishant Yagnik (Fielding Coach), as per a statement from the team.

The Sanju Samson-led team have also retained the services of John Gloster (Head Physio), Dr Rob Young (Team Doctor), and AT Rajamani Prabhu (Strength & Conditioning Coach). The IPL 2022 finalists have also on-boarded Mon Brokman as their Mental Performance Coach and Neil Barry as the Assistant Physio.

Brokman, who has previously worked with athletes from various Olympic sports, joins the Royals to assist with mental conditioning and help the players with their decision-making during pressure situations. Barry has served Rajasthan Royals' partner franchise Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League, and will be assisting John Gloster during the IPL season.

Rajasthan Royals will start their IPL 2023 campaign on April 2, in Hyderabad against Sunrisers Hyderabad, with the match scheduled to begin at 3.30 pm.

RR will be playing their first home game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on April 19 against Lucknow Super Giants.

In the last year's final, Royals lost to debutant Gujarat Titans by seven wickets.

Jos Buttler, the star batter of the team, finished as the leading run scorer in the season with 863 runs in 17 matches with four tons and four fifties at an average of 57.53. Star spinner Yuzvendra Chahal also topped the wicket-taking charts with 27 scalps in 17 matches at an economy rate of 7.75 and best bowling figures of 5/40.

Players bought by RR in IPL 2023 auction last year - Jason Holder (INR 5.75 crore), Donovan Ferreira (INR 50 lakh), Kunal Rathore (INR 20 lakh), Adam Zampa (INR 1.5 crore), KM Asif (INR 30 lakh), Murugan Ashwin (INR 20 lakh), Abdul PA (INR 20 lakh), Akash Vashisht (INR 20 lakh), Joe Root (INR 2 crore)

Players retained - Sanju Samson (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Jos Buttler, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldip Yadav, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, KC Cariappa. (ANI)