Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara is reportedly in advanced talks to join Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a mentor for IPL 2025, filling the vacancy left by Gautam Gambhir. 

Sangakkara is expected to part ways with Rajasthan Royals (RR), where he served as Director of Cricket.

KKR’s coaching unit, led by head coach Chandrakant Pandit and bowling coach Bharat Arun, requires additional coaches after the departure of Gambhir, Abhishek Nayar, and Ryan ten Doeschate, who joined the Indian team’s coaching staff.

Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid is tipped to take Sangakkara’s role at RR, with Vikram Rathour rejoining him in the coaching setup following India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph.

The BCCI is expected to announce the number of retentions ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, with many franchises undergoing major changes.

New Zealand has received a boost to their coaching stocks ahead of their upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan and ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka.

Former Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath has joins the Kiwis as bowling coach for all three matches while ex-India batting coach Vikram Rathour has also joined the Kiwi coaching ranks.New Zealand coach Gary Stead was thrilled to have the experienced duo join his coaching setup.

“We’re really excited to introduce Rangana and Vikram into our Test group,” he said.

“Both men are held in high regard in the world of cricket and I know our players are really looking forward to the opportunity to learn from them…Rangana has taken over 100 Test wickets in Galle which is the venue of our two Tests against Sri Lanka and so his knowledge of that venue will be priceless,” he has added.

(Excerpts : ICC)

Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died days after being doused in petrol and set on fire by a former boyfriend.

The 33-year-old Ugandan marathon runner, who competed in the recent Paris Olympics, had suffered extensive burns after Sunday’s attack.

The authorities in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained, said she was targeted after returning home from church with her two daughters.

Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, said that he had lost a “very supportive” daughter. Fellow Ugandan athlete James Kirwa told the BBC about her generosity and how she had helped out other runners financially.

A report filed by a local administrator alleged the athlete and her ex-partner had been wrangling over a piece of land. Police say an investigation is underway.

Cheptegei, from a region just across the border in Uganda, is said to have bought a plot in Trans Nzoia county and built a house to be near Kenya’s elite athletics training centres.

There are concerns about the increasing cases of violence against female athletes in Kenya. Cheptegei is the third to have been killed since October 2021.

Speaking to journalists outside the hospital where she had been treated, Mr Cheptegei asked the Kenyan government to ensure justice was done after the death of his daughter.

“We have lost our breadwinner,” he added and wondered how her two children, aged 12 and 13, would “proceed with their education.”

Dr Owen Menach, the head of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, told local media that the athlete had died after all her organs failed.

Kirwa, who had visited Cheptegei in hospital, told the BBC she “was a very affable person. [She] helped us all even financially and she brought me training shoes when she came back from the Olympics. She was like an older sister to me”.

Uganda’s athletics federation said in a post on X: “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei early this morning who tragically fell victim to domestic violence. As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice. May her soul rest In Peace.”

Cheptegei’s former boyfriend was also admitted to the hospital in Eldoret – but with less severe burns. He is still in intensive care but his condition was “improving and stable”, Dr Menach said.

Earlier, local police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom was quoted by local media as saying: “The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her.”

(BBC News)