IPL 2021: Are Rajasthan Royals picking Lionel Messi in the mega auction? Kumar Sangakkara responds

Kumar Sangakkara, the former Sri Lankan cricketer, has joined the Rajasthan Royals (RR) as the Director of Cricket for the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The southpaw is set to work with Sanju Samson, who has replaced Steve Smith as the skipper of the Royals. The Rajasthan franchise is set to win an IPL trophy ever since they came out trumps in the inaugural season.

In the meantime, Sangakkara answered some question posed to him on social media. In a video shared on the Royals’ YouTube channel, the veteran can be seen sharing his opinions on the queries from fans. One of the supporters asked him if the Royals will sign the legendary Argentine footballer Lionel Messi in next year’s IPL mega auction.

The fan asked and wrote, “Can we sign Messi in next year’s mega auction please?” Sangakkara reverted to the fan with a pinch of humour and also lauded Messi for his all-round skills.

“Are you talking about Lionel Messi? Well, wonderful to have a player like him. I’m sure with his talent, he can definitely play some cricket as well,” Sangakkara was quoted as saying in the video.

Kumar Sangakkara praises Virat Kohli

During his playing days, Sangakkara was known for playing the cover drive to perfection. Keeping in mind the same, one of the fans asked him who among the current batters plays the shot the best. The fan asked and wrote, “Which current batsman has the most perfect Sanga drive (cover drive)?”

Sangakkara was in a bit of a dilemma but named Ben Stokes and Samson from the Royals. He also had words of praises for Virat Kohli and believes that even Shivam Dube can nail the stroke with utmost ease.

“There’s quite a few, in our team itself, there’s quite a few. Ben Stokes is one, Sanju Samson can also play the drive. Virat Kohli, of course, has a beautiful balance and great transfer into his cover drive.

“And hopefully, I want to see Shivam Dube play them as well. It’s one of my favourite shots. And there are so many batters in the world who play it much better than I ever did,“ he stated.