Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara has said that the new flood lights in Jaipur are making life difficult for the players. During RR’s clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 25 April, some uncharacteristic dropped catches led to controversy.
There was discussion and debate over whether the stadium was responsible or not. Since then, Rajasthan Royals faced Delhi Capitals at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium on May 1 but did not look as aggressive. Now, RR will take on Gujarat Titans at their home ground on May 9.
Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, new LED floodlights were installed on ‘SMS’. The lights generally provided more brightness and better visibility, but the glare may have induced some butter fingers.
We are trying to see what is the right adjustment- Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara spoke to the media in Jaipur and talked about how the stadium authorities have done a better job with the lights. He also said that the fielders are taking their time to adjust to the new lights.
He said, “I think they’ve done a great job with retrofitting the flood lights. They’re LED lights, and again you know, they’re quite different to what’s used in other grounds. They’re very bright and give a huge amount of visibility. So we’re trying to see what the right adjustment is so that the fielders are comfortable and they don’t lose the ball in the glare of the lights.”
“We have spoken to the officials on the ground” – Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara also said that Rajasthan Royals has talked to the concerned authorities about this problem. He said he has since been forced to make some adjustments.
“So we have spoken to the ground officials and they have tried to reduce, increase or change the direction of the lights. And in the second game [vs Delhi Capitals on May 1]I think it was okay. It’s never easy when the lights are dazzling, but I think they’ve done a great job with the ability to adjust it, so it’s great to have such good lighting thanks to modern technology,” he said.
Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026
After finishing ninth last year, Rajasthan Royals re-appointed Kumar Sangakkara as head coach this year, but this did not bring any change in their “general Rajasthan fortunes”.
Before the season, RR made one of the biggest trades in IPL history. Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran were traded to Chennai Super Kings, and Sanju Samson – their full-time captain at the time – left for Chennai.
Curran was ruled out for the season due to injury, but Jadeja has been steady so far. Over the years, RR have built a reputation for being inconsistent, and that doesn’t look to change this year.
After winning their first four matches in a row, RR have lost four of their last six matches, and have won 6 out of 10 matches. RR are now fourth in the points table, but have the lowest net run rate among the teams currently in the top four.
After a gap of eight days since their last match, RR will take on Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur.
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