The former Indian head coach, Rahul Dravid is set to return as Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach for the 2025 IPL season after his illustrious stint as India coach ended with their triumphant victory in the 2024 Twenty20 World Cup in June.
Dravid, who recently signed a contract with the Royals, is already involved in player retention talks for the upcoming mega auction. His close relationship with RR skipper Sanju Samson, who was trained under Dravid’s guidance in the Under-19 side, is expected to be a big asset.
Dravid’s history with RR is rich and varied: he captained the team in IPL 2012 and 2013, and played a key role as team coach and mentor in 2014 and 2015.
He headed the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru since 2019 and then as head coach from 2021 in over a decade He guided the Indian team to their first ICC title.
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Vikram Rathore Too Returns!
Adding to the excitement, former India batsman Vikram Rathore is joining the Dravid coaching staff as an assistant coach. Rathore, who was part of Dravid’s squad at the NCA and serves as India’s batting coach from 2019, brings a wealth of experience.
While Dravid takes over the ships at RR, Kumar Sangakkara will continue to steer the ship as the franchise’s director of cricket, managing their teams in other leagues such as Paarl Royals in the SA20 and Barbados Royals in the CPL.
Will Dravid Break The Dry Spell?
Having yet to win an IPL title since their maiden title in 2008, Rajasthan Royals are keen to break their dry spell. Their best finish since then was being first in 2022. Despite a strong start in 2023.
Despite missing the playoffs and finishing fifth, they did make the playoffs in 2024 before being knocked out in Qualifier 2.
