The Rajasthan Royals have officially announced the appointment of Rahul Dravid as the head coach of their franchise for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Dravid will assume the role of head coach immediately and will play a key role in strategizing for the upcoming season, including the highly anticipated mega auction.
Having recently led India to victory in the T20 World Cup, Dravid will be returning to the Rajasthan Royals after a hiatus since 2015. Previously, Dravid had led the Royals in the IPL in 2012 and 2013, and later served as their mentor and Director of Cricket in 2014 and 2015 before moving on to the Delhi Capitals. Dravid then spent four seasons as head coach before transitioning to the role of India U19 coach in 2019.
This new position with the Rajasthan Royals marks Dravid's first professional assignment since his tenure as head coach of the senior national men's team concluded in July. Dravid has already engaged in discussions with Sangakkara and the rest of the management team as the franchise gears up for player retention and the upcoming auction, scheduled to take place later this year.
"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.
"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 added.
Jake Lush McCrum, the CEO of Royals Sports Group, emphasized the significant transformation that Indian cricket has undergone under his leadership. He expressed the franchise's excitement in welcoming back the esteemed individual 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," he said.
The Rajasthan Royals have only made it to the playoffs of the IPL twice in the last six seasons. However, they have shown significant improvement in recent years, reaching the final in 2022 and the playoffs in 2024. Under the leadership of Sanju Samson, they finished third in the latter season, demonstrating their growing consistency and competitiveness in the league.
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