Rahul Dravid to rejoin Rajasthan Royals as head coach
Dravid recently ended his tenure after India won the T20 World Cup
Former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid is poised to make a return to Rajasthan Royals (RR) as head coach ahead of the 2025 IPL season, ESPNCricinfo reported on Wednesday.
Dravid has reportedly signed a contract with the franchise and has already held preliminary discussions regarding player retentions in preparation for the upcoming mega auction.
Dravid has a history with the Royals, having captained the team in the 2012 and 2013 IPL seasons. He also served as team director and mentor during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
In 2016, Dravid moved to Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) before taking up the role of head of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru in 2019. He was appointed head coach of the Indian men’s team in 2021, concluding his three-year tenure with the team's first ICC title in 11 years.
In addition, the Royals are likely to bring on board former Indian batter Vikram Rathour as one of Dravid’s assistant coaches. Rathour, who previously served as an India selector, was part of Dravid’s coaching team at the NCA before becoming India's batting coach in 2019.
Meanwhile, Kumar Sangakkara, who has been the Royals’ Director of Cricket since 2021, will continue with the franchise and oversee their teams in other leagues, including Paarl Royals in the SA20 and Barbados Royals in the CPL.
The Royals have not won the IPL title since the inaugural season in 2008; their closest effort was in 2022 when they finished as runners-up to Gujarat Titans. Although they failed to make the playoffs in 2023, finishing fifth in the league despite a strong start, they reached the playoffs in 2024 but were knocked out in Qualifier 2.
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