After Team India stint, Rahul Dravid returns to Rajasthan Royals as head coach

Rajasthan Royals confirmed the appointment of Rahul Dravid as head coach of their franchise for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. In a statement, Dravid will take over as the head coach of the franchise with immediate effect and will be involved in the planning for the 2025 season, including the upcoming mega auction.

Dravid, who oversaw India's T20 World Cup triumph in July, will return to the franchise, for the first time since 2015. Dravid led the Royals in the IPL in 2012 and 2013 and served as their mentor and Director of Cricket in 2014 and 2015 before moving to Delhi Capitals. Dravid spent four more seasons in the IPL as head coach before taking up the role of India U19 coach in 2019.

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The Rajasthan role will be Dravid's first professional assignment since his three-year tenure as the head coach of the senior national men's team ended in July. Dravid has already had discussions with Sangakkara and the rest of the management team as the franchise prepares for retention and auction, set to be held later this year.

"I am pleased to be returning to the franchise I have called 'home' for a number of years in the past. After the World Cup, I feel it's the ideal time for me to take on another challenge, and the Royals is the perfect place to do that," Dravid said in a statement.

"A lot of hard work and deliberation from Manoj, Jake, Kumar and the team has gone into the progression that the franchise has made over the past few years. It's an exciting opportunity for us to take this team to the next level given the kind of talent and resources we have at our disposal and I'm looking forward to getting started," he added.

SANGAKKARA THRILLED TO JOIN DRAVID

Speculation was rife that Kumar Sangakkara would make way for Rahul Dravid at the Royals. However, the 2008 champions have made it clear that Sangakkara will continue as the Director of Cricket.

"Rahul is one of the greatest players to have played the game, but what he has achieved over the past decade as a coach is extraordinary. The characteristics that he possesses as a coach to nurture talent but also enable them to consistently perform at the highest level, will allow the Rajasthan Royals to further challenge for the title. I've already had some meaningful conversations with him about his vision for this team, and he is looking forward to delivering the results for the Royals," Sangakkara said, welcoming Dravid back to the franchise.

Questions were asked about Rahul Dravid's T20I coaching mettle after India's semi-final exit in the T20 World Cup in 2022. However, the legendary batter proved his naysayers wrong by being one of the architects of India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. The victory was significant as it came months after India suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the ODI World Cup final during his tenure.

Jake Lush McCrum, CEO of the Royals Sports Group, highlighted the transformation of Indian cricket under his guidance and said the franchise was thrilled to welcome the stalwart back to the camp.

"We are delighted to be bringing Rahul back to the franchise. His exceptional coaching capabilities are evident with the transformation he's driven in Indian cricket. He also has a deep connection to the franchise, and we've seen that passion come through in all our conversations," he said.

Rajasthan Royals have reached the playoffs of the IPL only twice in the last six seasons. However, they started to show more consistency in the recent past, reaching the final in 2022 and the play-offs in 2024, finishing third under Sanju Samson's captaincy.

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