Kumar Sangakkara and family face 'first bad experience in Dublin'; Ryanair accused of 'wrongdoing'

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara had a harrowing experience at Dublin Airport on Wednesday when he accused Irish airline Ryanair staff of discriminatory behaviour. The incident came to light after Sangakkara took to social media to share his ordeal and also claimed that he and his family were threatened by Ryanair staff at the airline’s gate.

Calling it unacceptable, Sangakkara wrote on X: “Has anyone experienced discriminatory @Ryanair gate staff in Dublin? I was just with my family and it was shocking. Tone of approach, incorrect procedure and threatening behaviour. Unacceptable for any passenger. First bad experience in Dublin.”

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However, the 48-year-old man did not reveal the exact circumstances that led to the confrontation with the Ryanair staff. Meanwhile, his post quickly went viral on social media, garnering 3.3 million views at the time of writing.

His post caught the attention of Sri Lankan IT specialist Sanjiva Weerawarana. “Kumar, I have experienced discrimination in every part of the West. I lived there for 16 years, traveled back and forth for the next 25 and now I am done,” Weerawarana wrote.

Responding to Weerawaran Sangakkara, he wrote: “It’s quite unpleasant to experience this @sanjiva.” British journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan also backed Sangakkara, calling on Ryanair to deal with the matter “quickly and properly”.

“Rarely met a more decent, dignified man than Kumar. It must have been truly disgraceful behavior for him to say that. I hope you resolve this promptly and properly @Ryanair,” Piers wrote on X. However, Ryanair has yet to respond or publicly explain the matter.

What’s next for Kumar Sangakkara?

Meanwhile, Sangakkara will have a busy next two months as the Rajasthan Royals head coach prepares to schedule ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) retention and auction in November and December. While the IPL 2027 auction is set for December 16, the retention period is one month before the mini-auction.

Sangakkara, who played in the IPL from 2008 to 2013, returned to the cash-rich league in 2021 as the head coach of Rajasthan Royals. In his first season as the head coach of Rajasthan Royals, the franchise ended its 17-year wait for a finals appearance. They finished second to Gujarat Titans.

Sangakkara served as the head coach of Rajasthan Royals until 2024 before being promoted to the role of Director of Cricket. Rahul Dravid took charge of Rajasthan Royals before taking over from Sangakkara again ahead of the IPL 2026 season. Last season, Rajasthan Royals finished fourth.

One of Sri Lanka’s greatest Test players, Sangakkara played 134 matches and scored 12,400 runs during his 15-year red-ball journey that began in 2000. He retired from the game in 2015.