Former India World Cup–winning coach Gary Kirsten named head coach of Sri Lanka men’s team

Former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten has been named the new head coach of the Sri Lanka men’s national cricket team. His tenure will officially begin on April 15, 2026. Kirsten brings a wealth of coaching experience at the international level. Sri Lanka Cricket hopes his leadership will help rebuild the team in the coming years.

Kirsten previously served as the head coach of India from 2008 to 2011. During that period, he guided the Indian team to their historic victory in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2011. After leaving India, he took charge of the South African national team. Under his leadership, South Africa reached the No. 1 ranking in all three formats in 2013.

Kirsten most recently worked as a consultant with Cricket Namibia for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. His role was to assist the team with preparations during the tournament. As a player, Kirsten also had an outstanding international career. Between 1993 and 2004, he scored 14,087 runs for South Africa across Tests and ODIs.

Sri Lanka Begin New Era Under Kirsten

Gary Kirsten has signed a two-year contract with Sri Lanka Cricket. His deal will run until April 14, 2028. One of his major responsibilities will be preparing the Sri Lankan team for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027. The tournament will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

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Meanwhile, former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya stepped down from the coaching role after a disappointing run in the T20 World Cup 2026. Jayasuriya had taken over the team shortly after the 2024 T20 World Cup. His tenure got off to a good start with Sri Lanka creating history by winning an ODI series against India in August 2024 after 27 years.

Sri Lanka also won a Test series 2-0 against New Zealand at home after winning a Test match at The Oval. However, the team faced some challenges in the shortest format towards the latter part of his tenure. The team lost four consecutive matches in the T20 World Cup 2026 and crashed out of the tournament early. The team had poor results in the Asia Cup in 2025 and the T20I tri-series in Pakistan.