New Delhi: After his tenure as India’s men’s head coach for the T20 World Cup, former India captain Rahul Dravid is yet again ready to don the hat for a similar role. He is now gearing up to become Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach ahead of IPL 2025.
Under his dedicated guidance, the Indian side achieved a remarkable victory, winning the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup in June this year in Barbados. This success instills confidence in his potential as the Rajasthan Royals head coach.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, Dravid recently signed a deal with the 2008 IPL-winning franchise and had initial conversations on player retentions ahead of the upcoming mega auction. After moving there in 2011, Dravid had previously led the franchise in the IPL 2012 and 2013 seasons.
After retiring from cricket, Dravid served as the team’s mentor throughout the 2014 and 2015 IPL seasons. He then took the same role with the Delhi Capitals until he became the National Cricket Academy (NCA) director in 2019.
Dravid’s good and long understanding with current RR captain, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who came through the ranks at the franchise and in the Indian team set-up under him, reassures the audience about the positive team dynamics.
The report also hinted at RR’s potential move to sign former India cricketer Vikram Rathour as one of Dravid’s assistant coaches, a move that could significantly strengthen the coaching staff. Rathour, who also served as a former India selector, was part of Dravid’s coaching staff at NCA before he became India’s batting coach in 2019.
Despite the potential signing of Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara, the franchise’s director of cricket since 2021, is expected to continue with the franchise. He will maintain his role as the de facto head coach and look after its teams in other leagues—Paarl Royals in the SA20 and Barbados Royals in the CPL.
RR’s next-best finish after winning IPL 2008 was runner-up in 2022 when they came second best to Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. After finishing fifth place in IPL 2023 despite a bright start to the season, RR managed to enter the playoffs in IPL 2024 before bowing out of the competition in Qualifier 2.
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–IANS
(Photo: IANS/Biplab Banerjee)
