“I feel it’s the ideal time for me to take on another challenge” - Rahul Dravid raring to go as head coach of Rajasthan Royals

Former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid was officially unveiled as the head coach of Indian Premier League team Rajasthan Royals on Friday.

While there have been several reports confirming Dravid’s move to Rajasthan Royals, the franchise confirmed the development on Friday.

Dravid has signed a multi-year contract with the 2008 IPL champions.

The former Indian captain said he was pleased to return to a franchise that he termed as his ‘home’ for many years in the past and added that the time was ripe for him to take on another challenge. “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. It is 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,” Dravid said, in a media statement.

Dravid was at the helm of Rajasthan Royals as their captain in 2012 and 2013 and was the team’s mentor in the subsequent two seasons. He has also worked for a long time with current Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson from the latter’s U-19 days too.

Dravid has spent a considerable amount of time grooming youngsters in the Indian U-19 setup before taking up a role as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Dravid later worked with the Indian cricket team as their head coach for three years and his contract ended after India won the T20 World Cup in June 2024.

Rajasthan Royals, in a media statement, confirmed the development and said both Dravid and Kumar Sangakkara, who is the director of cricket, will get to work together immediately. “The former Royals’ captain and coach spent five seasons with the franchise from 2011 to 2015, and will commence with the team immediately, working with Royals' director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara to implement the franchise's overall cricketing strategy,” the franchise said.

Jake Lush McCrum, the CEO of the Royals Sports Group under which Rajasthan Royals is a part, said Dravid’s passion to work with the franchise was evident in their discussions. “His exceptional coaching capabilities are evident with the transformation he’s driven in Indian cricket. He also has a deep connection to the franchise, and we’ve seen that passion come through in all our conversations,” McCrum said.

Kumar Sangakkara said Dravid is one of the greatest players to have played the game and his achievements over the past decade speak for themselves. “Rahul (Dravid) 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 opined.

Rajasthan Royals’ best finish was when they won the title in the inaugural edition and their next best finish was when they finished second-best in 2022 after losing the final to Gujarat Titans. In the 2024 edition, Rajasthan had a good season, including topping the points table, but were knocked out by eventual-finalist Sunrisers Hyderabad in the play-offs.