Former Indian cricketer and head coach Rahul Dravid was appointed as the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals for the IPL 2025 season.
After the successful T20 World Cup campaign in the USA and West Indies, Rahul Dravid stepped down as the Indian head coach and was expected to coach an IPL team in the upcoming 2025 season. [All IPL 2025 Teams Head Coach List]
As expected, the legendary Indian cricketer was roped in by Rajasthan Royals as their head coach for the IPL 2025 edition. Dravid has been closely associated with the Rajasthan Royals in both playing and coaching capacities.
Rahul Dravid played and captained the Royals franchise between 2011 and 2013 before being the mentor of the team for the 2014 season.
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, Rahul Dravid said: “I am pleased to be returning to the franchise I have called ‘home’ for a number of 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 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”, he added.
Ahead of coaching the team during the tournament, Rahul Dravid will now be tasked with making decisions on the team’s retentions once the IPL 2025 retention rules are revealed officially by BCCI.