BREAKING: Rahul Dravid to reunite with Rajasthan Royals as head coach ahead of IPL 2025

Rahul Dravid is all set to join Rajasthan Royals (RR) as their head coach ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. According to reports, the T20 World Cup-winning coach recently signed a deal with the Jaipur-based franchise and was even in talks over player retention for the 18^th edition.

This marks Dravid’s return to Royals after 10 years. The former Indian cricketer was last associated with the franchise in 2015, playing the role of a mentor for two consecutive years. Moreover, he was their captain in IPL 2012 and 2013, taking over the responsibility from Shane Warne. Dravid's captaincy debut turned sour as RR finished seventh in the points table. However, he managed to lead the team to the playoffs in 2014.

The Karnataka-born cricketer was named the mentor of Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2016. He continued in that role until 2019 when he was appointed as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. His remarkable success in Under-19 cricket earned him the role of head coach of the senior national team in 2021.

Under Dravid's guidance, India won the 2023 Asia Cup and finished as runners-up in the 2023 ODI World Cup and 2023 WTC. His three-year stint came to an end when the Men in Blue ended their 11-year ICC trophy drought by defeating South Africa in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Can Dravid end RR's 17-year title drought?

RR, champions of the inaugural IPL edition, have been without a designated head coach since 2021. The role was played by the Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara. Meanwhile, Shane Bond and Trevor Penny served as assistant coaches. With Dravid at the helm, former Sri Lanka cricketer Sangakkara is expected to remain as the team director. 

Also Read: Sanath Jayasuriya reveals Rajasthan Royals’ role in Sri Lanka’s ODI series win against India

The franchise has high hopes for Dravid, who shares a good rapport with captain Sanju Samson. They have not won the IPL trophy since the inaugural season in 2008. Samson and Co were runners-up in the 2022 edition but failed to reach the playoffs in 2023. RR had a terrific start to the 2024 season but were eliminated in Qualifier 2.