Rajasthan Royals Appoint Rahul Dravid As Head Coach Ahead Of IPL 2025

IPL 2025: Rajasthan Royals have appointed Rahul Dravid as their new head coach ahead of IPL 2025. The franchise released a statement in which it said that Dravid would be taking over the reins immediately and would also be involved in planning for the upcoming season, including the mega-auction.

Dravid, who guided the Men in Blue to a historic 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, would be making a comeback to the team after 2015. He was the captain of the franchise in the 2012 and 2013 seasons and also worked as their mentor and Director of cricket in the 2014 and 2015 seasons and then switched to Delhi Capitals. Dravid served as the IPL head coach for four more seasons and then became the head coach of the India U19 team in 2019.

This will be his first professional assignment after his three-year stint as the head coach of the Men in Blue, which came to an end in June this year.

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"I am pleased to be returning to the franchise I have called 'home' for several 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 was quoted as saying in a statement released by the franchise.

"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 concluded.

Sangakkara thrilled to join Dravid

There were speculations that Kumar Sangakkara would be replaced by Rahul Dravid at the franchise. But the franchise has dismissed all such claims and said that Sangakkara would continue to serve 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 was quoted as saying in the statement.

Rahul Dravid was slammed for his coaching abilities after the Rohit Sharma-led side was knocked out of the 2022 T20 World Cup. But he proved his critics wrong by playing a huge role in India's successful stint at the 2024 T20 World Cup. It was an important win as they did so a few months after suffering a heartbreaking loss in the 2023 ODI World Cup against Australia.

Jake Lush McCrum, who is the CEO of the franchise, emphasized the importance of the change the Indian team underwent under his guidance and that they are happy to welcome him back to the team.

"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," McCrum was quoted as saying in the statement.

The Sanju Samson-led side qualified for the playoffs twice in the last few years. But they became a consistent side just recently by reaching the summit clash in the 2022 season and then the playoffs in 2024, where they lay at the third position in the points table.