Sri Lanka rope in India’s World Cup-winning architect as head coach

Former South Africa opener Gary Kirsten has been appointed as the new head coach of the Sri Lanka national cricket team, with Sri Lanka Cricket confirming that he will officially assume the role from April 15, 2026.

Kirsten has signed a two-year contract and succeeds former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya, who stepped down from the position following Sri Lanka’s Super Eight exit at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. During the same tournament, Kirsten had been working with the Namibia national cricket team in a consultancy role.



The 56-year-old brings extensive international experience to the job. As a player, Kirsten represented South Africa national cricket team in 101 Tests and 185 One-Day Internationals. His coaching credentials are equally impressive, most notably leading the India national cricket team to victory in the 2011 Cricket World Cup and guiding the side to the top of the ICC Test rankings during his tenure.

After his successful stint with India, Kirsten went on to coach South Africa for two years. In April 2024, he was appointed as the white-ball head coach of the Pakistan national cricket team, although that partnership ended early when he resigned due to differences with the board and players.

Kirsten has also been actively involved in franchise cricket. He worked with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and later with Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League, serving as batting coach when the Titans secured the title in their debut season in 2022.

A key assignment during his tenure with Sri Lanka will be the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup scheduled to take place next year in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Sri Lanka will aim to secure direct qualification for the global event.

Kirsten’s appointment follows another recent coaching announcement by SLC, which named Jamie Siddons as the head coach of the Sri Lanka women’s national team earlier this week.