Former Indian skipper and head coach Rahul Dravid is poised to rejoin Rajasthan Royals as the head coach for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, according to a report by ESPNCricinfo on Wednesday. Dravid recently concluded his stint with Team India on a victorious note, clinching the ICC T20 World Cup by defeating South Africa in the final by seven runs in June. ESPNCricinfo reveals that Dravid has finalized a contract with the franchise where he previously served as a player and team director. During the 2011-13 seasons, Dravid participated in 46 matches for the team, accumulating 1,276 runs at an average of 29.67, including seven half-centuries, with his highest score being 66.
Dravid also maintains a strong, personal bond with Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson, whom he mentored during Samson's rise in under-19 cricket and later coached at the franchise level. Dravid led Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2012 and 2013 and acted as their team director from 2014-2015. He then moved to Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2016 before shifting to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in 2019. In 2021, Dravid was appointed as India's all-format head coach, concluding his tenure with an ICC championship win.
Rajasthan Royals are also expected to bring in India's former batting coach Vikram Rathour as an assistant coach. Rathour collaborated closely with Dravid during his tenure as Indian coach and was part of Dravid's coaching team at the NCA in 2019. It is understood that Dravid will replace Kumar Sangakkara at Rajasthan Royals, who has been serving as the director of cricket since 2021. Sangakkara is anticipated to continue his association with the franchise in a different role and will also oversee the sister teams in SA20 (Paarl Royals) and Caribbean Premier League (Barbados Royals).
Rajasthan has yet to win an IPL title since their victory in the inaugural 2008 season. Their best performance since then was in 2022, where they finished as runners-up to Gujarat Titans.
