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Player Name
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Kumar Sangakkara
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Nicknames
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Sanga
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Birth Place
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Matale, Kandy
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Height
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5 ft 7 in (178 cms)
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Jersey Number
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84
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Team(s)
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Sri Lanka, Asia XI, ICC World XI, Punjab Kings, Lancashire, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Deccan Chargers, Kandurata Warriors, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kandurata Maroons, Jamaica Tallawahs, Durham, Surrey, Warne Warriors, Dhaka Dynamites, Hobart Hurricanes, Quetta Gladiators, Karachi Kings, Marylebone Cricket Club, Multan Sultans
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Family
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Wife- Yehali Sangakkara, Son- None, Daughters: Kavith Sangakkara, Swyree Sangakkara, Father- Kshema Sangakkara, Mother- Kumari Sangakkara, Brother- Vemindra Sangakkara, Sister- None
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Zodiac
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Scorpio
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Education
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Graduate
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Cars
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Range Rover Evoque
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Networth
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Rs. 21 million (173.38 Crores)
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Salary
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3.5 crores (Rajasthan Royals)
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Instagram Link
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https://www.instagram.com/sangalefthander/?hl=en
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Facebook Link
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https://www.facebook.com/Official.Kumar.Sangakkara
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Twitter/X Link
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https://x.com/KumarSanga2
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Former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara played international cricket for 15 years and finished his career as a T20 World Cup champion in 2014.
The T20 World Cup final in Dhaka against India was his last T20I match while his last ODI match was in the ODI World Cup 2015. He is still among the top-scorers in Test and ODI cricket even after a decade of his retirement.
Sangakkara is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. He was a key part of the Sri Lankan squads which won the 2001-02 Asian Test Championship, 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and 2014 T20 World Cup.
In all three forms of international cricket, Sangakkara is the second-highest run-scorer, having amassed a total of 28,016 including 63 centuries.
Since retirement, he has worked as a commentator for Sky Sports and served as President of the MCC from October 2019 to September 2021.
He described MCC as "the greatest cricket club in the world" and said being named as its president was a "huge honor". He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in June 2021, the second Sri Lankan player to be inducted after Muttiah Muralitharan.
Early and Personal Life
Kumar Sangakkara was born in Matale, Central Province, on 27 October 1977. He is the fourth and youngest child of Kshema, a civil lawyer, and Kumari Sangakkara. Kumar was brought up in the family home near Kandy.
His father was very keen on sports and would daily spend hours coaching his children. He was educated at Trinity College, Kandy. Musically talented, he was a chorister and played the violin.
He excelled in several sports and his mother Kumari wanted him to concentrate on his best one. She sought the advice of college principal Leonard de Alwis, who said Kumar should focus on cricket.
The Sangakkaras are a sporting family and Kumar's three elder siblings all excelled in sports at Trinity. His two sisters, Thushari and Saranga, played basketball and tennis respectively, both at representative levels.
Domestic Career
In first-class cricket, he played for Nondescripts Cricket Club from 1997–98 to 2013–14 and for Surrey County Cricket Club from 2015 to 2017.
Having played for Sri Lanka under-19s while he was still at school, he made further appearances for the team in the 1996–97 season.
In February 1997, he played in three Under-19 Tests against the touring India under-19 team. In March, of that year he played three ODIs against the Indian U-19 team.
In 1999-2000, he played for Sri Lanka before making his international debut for Sri Lanka in 2000.
Sangakkara was selected for the Sri Lanka A team's tour of South Africa. He then decided to focus on cricket and leave university and did not continue his studies further.
International Career
The former Sri Lankan skipper made his ODI and Test debut in July 2000. For the next 15 years, he was the batting mainstay for his team alongside names like Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Romesh Kaluwitrana.
He formed a memorable bond with Jayawardene both in the game of cricket and in life and together they were a part of the golden period of Sri Lankan cricket. The southpaw ended with 12400 Test runs with 11 double tons, second only to Don Bradman (12).
He has also scored 14234 ODI runs second only to Sachin Tendulkar in the list of top run-getters in ODI cricket. However, his most rewarding format turned out to be the T20 World Cup which he won with the side in 2014.
Besides his batting, he played as a wicketkeeper and was considered among the best of his era alongside Adam Gilchrist and MS Dhoni.
He was an admirable and soft-spoken personality and played a big role in bringing Sri Lankan cricket to the World Cup map. He led the team across formats as well bringing a lot of success.
Franchise Career
Kumar Sangakkara played for several T20 franchise leagues like Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. He played for Durham and Surrey in English county cricket.
He played for the Quetta Gladiators, Karachi Kings, and Lahore Qalandars in the PSL, Dhaka Dynamites, in the BPL, and Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL.
His best numbers came in the IPL where he scored runs in 71 IPL games. In 2021, he joined Rajasthan Royals as the head coach of the franchise and the franchise played the final in IPL 2022 as well. There are reports that he might become the head coach of England's white-ball side.
