Rahul Dravid, whose tenure as India head coach ended last month, is all set for a return to his former Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR).

According to a report published in the Times of India, Dravid is in advanced talks with the Royals to take up the head coach role

The inaugural IPL champions don’t have a head coach currently, with Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara serving as the Director of Cricket since 2021. Shane Bond and Trevor Penny are the assistant coaches.

Dravid’s association with the Jaipur-based franchise goes a long way back. He led them in the past and was also RR’s team mentor in 2014 and 2015 seasons.

“Talks are going on between RR and Dravid, and an announcement in this regard is round the corner,” TOI quoted a source as saying.

After his retirement from international cricket, Dravid took up the head coach roles for India U-19 and India ‘A’ teams before the National Cricket Academy (NCA) as director.

Following the end of Ravi Shastri’s stint as India head coach, Rahul Dravid was appointed in the high-profile role in October 2021.

Under Dravid’s guidance, India reached the final of the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup last year. However, the team failed to cross the final hurdle as they lost to Australia on both occasions.

However, Dravid ended his coaching career with an ICC trophy as Rohit Sharma and his men clinched the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean last month.

Former opener Gautam Gambhir has replaced Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian cricket team. Gambhir will begin his tenure with the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, starting on July 27.

(With TOI Inputs)