Rahul Dravid will return as head coach of Rajasthan Royals (RR) for the 2025 IPL season, after finishing his tenure as India’s head coach following their 2024 T20 World Cup victory. Dravid, who recently signed a deal with RR, has already started discussions on player retentions ahead of the upcoming mega auction. He shares a strong working relationship with RR captain Sanju Samson, who came through the under-19 ranks under Dravid’s guidance.
Dravid’s connection with RR dates back to IPL 2012 and 2013, when he served as captain, and to 2014 and 2015, when he was the team’s mentor and director. He later joined Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2016, before moving to the National Cricket Academy in 2019 and becoming India’s head coach in 2021.
RR is likely to add former India batter Vikram Rathour as one of Dravid’s assistant coaches. Rathour, who worked alongside Dravid at the NCA and as India’s batting coach, will play a key role in supporting the team’s coaching staff.
While Dravid will focus on the IPL team, Kumar Sangakkara, the Royals’ director of cricket since 2021, will continue to manage RR’s sister teams in the SA20 (Paarl Royals) and CPL (Barbados Royals). RR, who won their only IPL title in 2008, finished runners-up in 2022 but missed the playoffs in 2023 before reaching Qualifier 2 in 2024.
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