After wrapping up his coaching career with India following the team’s success in the 2024 T20 World Cup in June of this year, Rahul Dravid is set to return as head coach of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for the 2025 IPL season. RR and David have a past. A quite prosperous past. In the 2012 and 2013 IPL seasons, he captained them. In the 2014 and 2015 seasons, he was the team director and mentor.
Before taking the helm of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru in 2019, Rahul Dravid was a member of the Delhi Daredevils (now the Delhi Capitals) in 2016. He was named head coach of the India men’s team in 2021, and the squad won their first ICC trophy in eleven years after his three-year tenure.
Rahul Dravid – Sanju Samson: U-19 Bond
Rahul Dravid has held preliminary meetings with the squad about player retention ahead of the upcoming mega auction. With Sanju Samson, the RR captain, who rose through the under-19 ranks under Dravid, he has a long-standing professional relationship. Vikram Rathour, a former India batter, is also slated to join RR as an assistant coach under Dravid.
Before Rathour became India’s batting coach in 2019, he was a member of the 51-year-old’s coaching team at the NCA. Rathour was also a former India selector. While Rahul Dravid will lead the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. Kumar Sangakkara, who has been the team’s director of cricket since 2021, is expected to continue in that role while also managing clubs in other tournaments, including the CPL‘s Barbados Royals and the SA20’s Paarl Royals.
RR’s greatest result was in 2022 when they finished second behind Gujarat Titans. They haven’t won the IPL since the league’s inception in 2008. After a fantastic start to the season, they finished fifth in the league in 2023 and missed the playoffs. However, they succeeded in making the playoffs in 2024 and were eliminated in the second qualifying round.
Dravid’s Return to RR
Following his departure from the Royals in 2016, Rahul Dravid joined the Delhi Daredevils, where he remained until 209 when he was appointed head of the National Cricket Academy. After three years, he just concluded his role as the Indian cricket team’s coach, having been appointed in 2021. Dravid will rejoin Sanju Samson, who is expected to be retained as the Royals’ captain for a further season, back at the team’s setup.
Under the cautious eye of the 51-year-old, the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter advanced through the under-19 division. Despite having a fantastic start to the season, the Sanju Samson-led team finished fifth in the league and missed the playoffs in 2023. However, they succeeded in 2024 and were eliminated in the second qualifying round. With Rahul Dravid’s return to the Royals lineup—he is now a World Cup winner—the team may finally have the much-needed firepower.
Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who has been the Rajasthan Royals’ director of cricket since 2021, is reportedly going to stay on with the franchise and manage the teams in other leagues. Including the SA20’s Paarl Royals and the Caribbean Premier League’s Barbados Royals, once Rahul Dravid takes over as captain of the team in the IPL.
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