The Royals batting looks decent but there is the issue of consistency and lack of depth that could be telling as the tournament wears on.
Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara on Saturday completed 2,000 runs against Pakistan and in the process the left-hander also created a new world record.
Sri Lanka beat England by 90 runs in the sixth One-Day International at Pallekele on Saturday to take an unbeatable 4-2 lead in their seven-match series.
Kumar Sangakkara scored his first international century in England as Sri Lanka secured a draw when rain brought an early finish to the third and final Test on Monday.
A disappointed Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday said his side was completely outplayed in the Test series and blamed the 0-2 loss on his bowlers' inability to either contain or dismiss India's formidable batting line-up.
Both Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers captains said that there was no bad blood left among the players in the controversial dismissal of home side skipper Kumar Sangakkara in their IPL match played in Vishakapatnam on Tuesday.
In a league defined by change, Sanju Samson's steadfast presence offers a sense of stability and a genuine chance for the Royals to finally reclaim their long-awaited title
Kumar Sangakkara struck a sparkling 221 to move to the second spot in the all-time list of Test double centurions as Sri Lanka grabbed lead before declaring their first innings on day four of the first Test against Pakistan on Saturday.
The evergreen Kumar Sangakkara struck his 36th Test century, and first at Lord's, as he guided Sri Lanka past the follow-on mark to finish on 415 for seven on the third day of the first Test against England on Saturday.
The ICC on Saturday gave a clean chit to Kumar Sangakkara, who was involved in an unsavoury incident with New Zealand all-rounder Nathan McCullum during a tri-series match, saying the Sri Lanka captain was found not guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.
They let India level the three-match series by not grabbing chances but Sri Lanka was a better side throughout, host skipper Kumar Sangakkara said on Saturday.
Sri Lanka would look to accelerate in the first two sessions on Monday to score a big total and put pressure on the Indians in the first Test in Galle, Sri Lanka, captain Kumar Sangakkara said on Sunday.
Kumar Sangakkara's eloquence is unquestionable and he was grace personified on the final day of his T20 International career stating that it was a privilege to play the sport and it "does not owe anything to the players".
England claimed two late wickets to reduce Sri Lanka to 133 for two at the close of a rain-shortened first day in the first test on Thursday.
Captain Kumar Sangakkara led from the front with a gutsy half-century that saw Punjab get the better of Mumbai by six wickets in Mohali on Friday.
PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan told the media that negotiations with Richards were wrapped up as the two parties could not agree on financial details and the West Indian legend also had prior commitments.
Images of the fourth day's play of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka being played in Colombo.
They recorded unbeaten double hundreds and put Sri Lanka in total control of the first Test against South Africa on Friday.
In a veiled attack on the standard of umpiring in the Test series against India, Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday said the three-match rubber should have had the Decision Review System (DRS) in place as dodgy decisions cost his side "over 500 runs and a lot of wickets".
Rajasthan Royals' director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara on Friday said that all-rounder Chris Morris, who was brought by the franchise for Rs 16.25 crore in the IPL auction, will have a "very specific role of supporting" pace spearhead Jofra Archer.
Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews is looking to overwhelming support from the crowd.
The duo, who added a Test and first-class record 624 for the third wicket in Sri Lanka's innings victory over South Africa moved into the top 10 of the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen.
Kumar Sangakkara took full advantage of being dropped in the first over of the day to score his 28th Test century as Sri Lanka took firm control of the second test against South Africa on Wednesday.
Riding on a superb all-round show, Gemini Arabians registered a massive 78-run win over Libra Legends in the opening match of the Masters Champions League Twenty20 tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday. Put into bat, Gemini Arabians posted a massive 234 for three in their allotted 20 overs and in response the Libra Legends could manage only 156/8. The hero of the Gemini win was the pair of Kumar Sangakkara (86 runs 43 balls, 6x4, 7x6) and opener Richard Levi (62 runs, 43 balls, 4x4, 3x6). Together, they stitched together an 84-run partnership for the second wicket after skipper Virender Sehwag (21) got the tournament off to a rollicking start with a six off the first ball.
Sangakkara's eighth Test ton guided the hosts to 340-7 at the close, 342 runs ahead of West Indies.
Flamboyant opener Virender Sehwag on Thursday said it is imperative for India to get rid of prolific batsmen Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene early on Friday to stand a chance in the third cricket Test.
Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara will make his debut as a television commentator during the inaugural Champions League, commencing in India from October 8.
Sri Lankan batting great Kumar Sangakkara has given Australia's domestic Twenty20 league a major shot in the arm by signing up to play for the Hobart Hurricanes from next season.
The turning point of the match has Kumar Sangakkara's wicket.
Images from Day 1 in the second Test between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo.
Iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar did not find a place in Kumar Sangakkara's list of all-time XI while Rahul Dravid was the lone Indian in the team selected by the former Sri Lankan skipper.
Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara became the 11th cricketer to surpass 10,000 Test runs during his innings of 58 on the opening day of the second test against Australia in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara slammed his batsmen after his side had suffered an embarrassing seven-wicket defeat against India in the third One-Day International in Cuttack on Monday.
With the individual brilliance of just-retired Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga missing, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday said his team will have to build bowling partnerships to trouble the Indians in the second cricket Test starting in Colombo on Monday.
India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni described the Motera featherbed as a bowler-hostile track even as his Sri Lanka counterpart Kumar Sangakkara had no issues with the strip, calling it a 'true' wicket.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara on Saturday defended his move during the unsavoury collision incident involving New Zealand's Nathan McCullum in Friday's tri-series match, saying it was the all-rounder who first obstructed his way.
He is only the second Indian cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to have breached the mark -- Tendulkar scored 34,357 runs across formats during his decorated career.
Kumar Sangakkara struck his 37th Test hundred as he and his retiring team mate Mahela Jayawardene powered Sri Lanka to 252 for two wickets before rain washed out the final session on day three of the first Test against Pakistan on Friday.
The pressure will all be on India when they host Sri Lanka in this month's opening Test, visiting captain Kumar Sangakkara said on Sunday as his side prepared to try to win their first Test match in the country. Sri Lanka have not won any of the 14 matches they have played in India since their first Test visit in 1982.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said on Wednesday that he has gone down on his knees to beg record-breaking batsman Kumar Sangakkara not to quit after the World Cup. Sangakkara, 37, will call time on his ODI career at the end of the tournament but he is still in a rich vein of form.
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