Rahul Dravid will return to Rajasthan Royals as head coach

ESPNcricinfo has learned that Dravid has recently signed a deal with the franchise and has held initial talks about player retention ahead of the upcoming auction. He has a long-standing partnership with RR captain Sanju Samson, who has excelled at the under-19 level on Dravid’s watch.

Dravid has a history with RR. He was their captain in IPL 2012 and 2013, and served as a team director and mentor during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. In 2016, Dravid moved to Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and became the head of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru in 2019. In 2021, he was appointed as the head coach of the Indian men’s team and completed his three years with their team. first ICC title in 11 years.

It is understood that RR is also likely to sign former India batsman Vikram Rathour as one of Dravid’s assistant coaches. Rathour, a former India selector, was part of Dravid’s coaching staff at the NCA before becoming India’s batting coach in 2019.

It is understood that while Dravid will manage Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, Kumar Sangakkara, who has been their director of cricket since 2021, will continue their games and look after their teams in other leagues – Paarl Royals in SA20 and Barbados. Royals in CPL.

RR have not won the IPL title since the inaugural season in 2008; their next best finish was in 2022 when they finished second to Gujarat Titans. They failed to make the playoffs in 2023, finishing fifth in the league despite a strong start to the season, but did so in 2024 and were eliminated from Qualifier 2.