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Rajasthan Royals' Director of Cricket, Kumar Sangakkara, has attributed their disappointing finish in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) to fatigue and a lack of depth in their middle order.
RR, who started the tournament strongly with eight wins in their first nine matches, lost four consecutive games towards the end of the league stage, which ultimately cost them a top-two finish.
Despite bouncing back with a win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator, RR were defeated by Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2, ending their campaign.
Sangakkara acknowledged that the team's performance suffered due to fatigue, particularly towards the end of the tournament.
He also pointed to the lack of contributions from the middle order, which he felt could have done more to support the top order.
RR were without Jos Buttler for the latter part of the tournament, and Sangakkara admitted that his absence was a significant blow.
The Royals also have several players who will be traveling to the Americas for the T20 World Cup next month, including Avesh Khan, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Sangakkara praised Khan for his performances throughout the tournament, highlighting his ability to finish off innings in the death overs.
The former Sri Lankan cricketer also ruled himself out of contention for the India head coach job, citing time constraints.
Sangakkara expressed his happiness with his role at RR and indicated that he is not looking to make a full-time commitment to coaching at this stage of his career.
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