Ex-captain and coach of India, Rahul Dravid, is set to come back to Rajasthan Royals as head coach for the 2025 IPL season. Dravid, who had coached the Royals before, possesses a lot of knowledge from his time as a player and his most recent position as India’s head coach.
The Royals anticipate that his comeback will enhance their tactics and growth for the approaching season.
Iga Swiatek and Daniil Medvedev’s losses at the US Open means that this year will see two new champions being crowned. The sudden departures of the previous competitors have paved the way for new challengers, guaranteeing an exciting end to the competition as unfamiliar names are poised to claim the esteemed titles.
Dravid has reached an agreement with the franchise he had been connected to as both a player and a team director. During the 2011-13 seasons, Dravid participated in 46 matches for the team, accumulating 1,276 runs with an average of 29.67 and hitting seven fifties. He achieved a top score of 66.
Dravid also shares a strong, enduring bond with team captain Sanju Samson, who developed in under-19 cricket under Dravid’s guidance and later joined the franchise. Dravid led RR in the IPL during 2012 and 2013 and then took on the role of team director from 2014 to 2015.
After that, Dravid joined Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2016 before transitioning to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in 2019. India named Dravid as their head coach for all formats in 2021, and his term concluded with an ICC championship under his leadership.
RR may also bring in India’s ex-batting coach Vikram Rathour, who collaborated with Dravid while he was the head coach of the Indian team, to serve as one of the assistant coaches. In 2019, Rathour was part of Dravid’s coaching team at the NCA.
Dravid will replace Sangakkara at RR while the Sri Lankan will still be involved with the team and also look after sister teams in SA20 and Caribbean Premier League.
Rajasthan has failed to win an IPL title since their victory in the first season in 2008. They achieved their second best result in 2022 when they came in second place to Gujarat Titans.