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Rajasthan Royals (RR) announced the appointment of Rahul Dravid as their head coach for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Dravid will assume his new role immediately and will be actively involved in the planning for the upcoming season, including the mega auction.
Rahul Dravid returns to Rajasthan Royals
Rahul Dravid, who guided India to victory in the T20 World Cup in July, will be returning to the RR for the first time since 2015. Dravid previously led the Royals in the Indian Premier League in 2012 and 2013, and also served as their mentor and Director of Cricket in 2014 and 2015 before transitioning to the Delhi Capitals. He spent four more seasons in the IPL as head coach before taking on the role of India U19 coach in 2019. The Rajasthan Royals position will mark Dravid's first professional assignment since his three-year tenure as the head coach of the senior Indian men's team concluded in July.
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"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," Dravid said in a statement.
"A lot of hard work and deliberation 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.
Kumar Sangakkara in line to replace Gautam Gambhir as KKR mentor
Earlier, the Telegraph reported that the former RR head coach and Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara is in line to replace Gautam Gambhir as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor for the IPL 2025.
Reportedly, discussions are currently underway between the franchise and Sangakkara regarding this role. Vikram Rathour, who was part of Rahul Dravid's coaching staff in the Indian national team, will also be joining Rajasthan Royals as a coach for the upcoming season. While an official announcement is still pending, it is expected that these changes will take place shortly.
But with RR's announcement it is now clear that Sangakkara isn't going anywhere. RR CEO Jake Lush McCrum made it clear that Sangakkara and Dravid have already started working hand in hand with the IPL 2025 nearing.
"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," said Jake Lush McCrum in a statement.
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