It has been around a couple of months from the time under the former coach of the Indian team, Rahul Dravid, the Blue Brigade celebrated their second T20 World Cup in 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA) as they got the better of South Africa in the final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
The end of India’s drought of winning an ICC trophy came after 11 years of wait, as they missed the chance of lifting the ODI World Cup in 2023 against Australia with a defeat in the final despite of being unbeaten throughout the tournament.
Rahul Dravid was the former captain of the inaugural champions during the 2012 and 2013 seasons before he became the mentor of the side in 2014 and 2015. Now, he is back in the franchise with a multi-year contract as the Sanju Samson looks forward to their second title of the premier league tournament.
Rahul Dravid unveiled as the new head coach of Rajasthan Royals
The former Indian batter, Rahul Dravid, has been announced as the new head coach of the Royals. Funnily, towards the end of the T20 World Cup 2024, when he was asked about his future, the right-handed batter joked about being ‘jobless’ for a few months.
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The Karnataka-born has vowed to take another challenge in the toughest franchise league around the world from the 2025 season, as he also addressed the period as the ‘ideal time’ for the role.
“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.” Rahul Dravid expressed in a statement after the appointment.
The reports in the past also revealed that Dravid and RR had an initial conversation on the player retentions for the upcoming mega auction, as he has a petty good relationship in the working department with the Royal captain, Sanju Samson, who came through the ranks the under-19 set-up under the attention of the veteran.
The appointment marks his return back in the IPL for the very first time since 2019, when he became the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, after which in 2021, he replaced Ravi Shastri to be the new head coach of the Indian team and ended his three-year contract with a title beside his name.
“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.” Rahul Dravid shared his excitement.
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When he was the captain of the side in 2012 and 2013, the franchise didn’t enjoy a great time in the first year, finishing in seventh position among nine teams, but developed their rank to third position in 2013. The Royals failed to make the playoffs in 2023, finishing fifth in the league despite a strong start in the season but did better in 2014 before being knocked out in the second qualifier game.
“We are delighted to be bringing Rahul Dravid back to the franchise. His exceptional coaching capabilities are evident with the transformation he’s driven in Indian cricket.” The CEO of RR, Jake Lush McCrum, expressed. “He also has a deep connection to the franchise, and we’ve seen that passion come through in all our conversations.”
The BCCI is likely to announce the rules of the IPL 2025 retentions in the next few days.