Rahul Dravid was officially confirmed as the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals on Friday (September 6). Dravid recently saw out his term as the head coach of the senior men’s Indian team and finished his tenure by winning the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and the USA.
Dravid has been closely associated with the Royals franchise in both playing and coaching capacities. He played and captained the team between 2011 and 2013 before transitioning to a mentor role for the 2014 season. Dravid also served as a mentor for the Delhi Daredevils before giving up his IPL positions after being named to coach the India A and U-19 teams. That path eventually led him to coach the senior men’s Indian team from 2021.
At the Royals, Dravid will work in close synergy with Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara, who served as coach over the past four years. “Rahul is one of the greatest players to have played the game, but what he has achieved over the past decade as a coach is extraordinary. The characteristics that he possesses as a coach to nurture talent but also enable them to consistently perform at the highest level, will allow the Rajasthan Royals to further challenge for the title,” Sangakkara said.
“I’ve already had some meaningful conversations with him about his vision for this team, and he is looking forward to delivering the results for the Royals.”
Speaking about his return to the Royals, Dravid said: “I am pleased to be returning to the franchise I have called ‘home’ for a number of years in the past,” he said. “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.
“A lot of hard work and deliberations 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.”
Dravid, who has already begun work at the franchise, will now be tasked with making decisions on the team’s retentions once the rules are made public by BCCI and then assembling the squad he wants at the auction.
