New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals have officially announced the return of Rahul Dravid as their head coach for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. In a statement, the franchise confirmed that Dravid would assume his new role immediately and begin preparations for the 2025 season, which includes the critical upcoming mega auction.
This marks Dravid’s first stint with the Royals since 2015, having led the team as captain in 2012 and 2013, and later serving as mentor and Director of Cricket in 2014 and 2015. After his successful years with the Royals, Dravid moved to Delhi Capitals before transitioning to head coaching roles in the Indian cricket setup, including the India U19 team and the senior national team.
Dravid’s return to Rajasthan Royals comes on the heels of his three-year term as the head coach of the senior Indian men’s cricket team, which concluded in July 2024, following India’s T20 World Cup triumph. He had also overseen India’s journey to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Dravid is now set to rejoin his former IPL team, a franchise he called “home” for several years.
“I am pleased to be returning to the franchise I have called ‘home’ for a number of 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 said in a statement.
He added, “A lot of hard work has gone into the progress this franchise has made in recent years. It’s an exciting opportunity to take this team to the next level, and I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Contrary to speculation, Kumar Sangakkara will remain with Rajasthan Royals as Director of Cricket, and he expressed his excitement to work alongside Dravid.
“Rahul is one of the greatest players to have ever played the game, but what he has achieved as a coach over the past decade is remarkable,” Sangakkara said. “His ability to nurture talent while enabling players to consistently perform at the highest level will be key to helping the Royals challenge for the title.”
While questions were raised about Dravid’s T20I coaching credentials following India’s semi-final exit in the 2022 T20 World Cup, he silenced critics by guiding India to a historic victory in the T20 World Cup 2024. This achievement came just months after a painful ODI World Cup final loss in 2023.
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