Rahul Dravid, former captain and mentor of Rajasthan Royals, has joined the franchise as their new head coach ahead of the IPL 2025 season. RR officially announced the joining on September 6, 2024.
He will work alongside Royals Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara to develop the franchise's cricketing strategy. Dravid returns to the Royals, where he previously spent five seasons from 2011 to 2015.
The 51-year-old Dravid, undoubtedly one of India's best batters, began his coaching career with the Royals in 2014, when he shifted from captain to mentor.
"I am pleased to be returning to the franchise I have called 'home' for several 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.
A lot of hard work and deliberations from Manoj, Jake, Kumar, and the team have 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," said Dravid.
Kumar Sangakkara, the Royals' Director of Cricket and Head Coach for the last four seasons, welcomed Dravid to the franchise.
"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. 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,” Sangakkara said.
Jake Lush McCrum, Chief Executive Officer, of Royals Sports Group, said, "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. His expertise in getting the best out of both younger and experienced talent, along with the values with which he operates, aligns seamlessly with our franchise, and just a quick skim of social media tells me the fans will be excited to see him back with us.
Rahul has already got to work with Kumar (Sangakkara) and the rest of the team, as we prepare for this exciting new period for the franchise starting with IPL retention and the auction just around the corner.”
Rahul Dravid has worked with the National Cricket Academy (NCA), the Indian Men's U19, and the Indian Men's Senior team, leading the country to the top of the Test, ODI, and T20I rankings during his tenure, as well as winning the ICC Men's T20 World Cup recently.
(Rajasthan Royals website inputs)
