Rahul Dravid has been formally announced as Rajasthan Royals' new head coach for a multi-year term, and he said it was the "ideal time" to "take on another challenge" after guiding India to the T20 World Cup title in June this year.
"I am pleased to be returning to the franchise I have called 'home' for a number of years in the past," Dravid said in a statement, having captained RR in IPL 2012 and 2013, and been their team mentor in 2014 and 2015. "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'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."
ESPNcricinfo had reported two days ago that Dravid and RR had signed a deal and also had initial conversations on player retentions ahead of the upcoming mega auction. He has a long-standing working relationship with the RR captain Sanju Samson, who came through the under-19 ranks on Dravid's watch.
Dravid's appointment marks his return to the IPL for the first time since 2019, when he became the head of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. In 2021, he was appointed head coach of the India men's team and ended his three-year stint with their first ICC title in 11 years.
RR said in a statement that Dravid will "commence with the team immediately, working with Royals' director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara to implement the franchise's overall cricketing strategy."
RR have not won the IPL title since the inaugural season in 2008; their next best finish was in 2022 when they came runners-up to Gujarat Titans. They failed to make the playoffs in 2023, finishing fifth in the league despite a terrific start to the season, but did so in 2024 and were knocked out in Qualifier 2.
"We are delighted to be bringing Rahul back to the franchise," RR CEO Jake Lush McCrum said. "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. Rahul has already got to work with Kumar (Sangakkara) and the rest of the team, as we prepare for this exciting new period for the franchise starting with IPL retention and the auction just around the corner."