New Delhi: Rahul Dravid stepping down as the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) came as a surprise to many. Dravid ended his stint at the franchise after being at the helm for just one season. The former India batter joined as RR’s head coach ahead of IPL 2025, fresh from leading the Indian team to glory in the T20 World Cup last year.
However, he was let go after RR endured a dismal season, finishing a disappointing 9th in IPL 2025. Dravid was offered a ‘broader’ role at the franchise, but he declined as he left the head coach position. Details have now emerged about the potential reasons behind Dravid’s untimely exit from the franchise.
As per a report in Cricbuzz, RR captain Sanju Samson’s desire to leave the franchise and the divide over future captaincy candidates could have played a major role in Dravid’s departure. There were reportedly three factions in the RR setup as far as captaincy was concerned. While one wanted Samson to continue, the other preferred Riyan Parag to be elevated to permanent captaincy and the third backed Yashasvi Jaiswal as a future leader.
As per the report, Dravid was in discussions with the RR management and team owner Manoj Badale since July this year, when he flew to London for the franchise’s review meet after their disastrous season. Badale was keen to retain Dravid and offered him a ‘broader’ position, which was declined by the former India head coach as he decided to step down.
Samson’s expressing his desire to leave RR also brought Dravid’s role as head coach under the scanner, as the wicket-keeper batter has been a long-serving skipper of the franchise. However, as per Cricbuzz, Samson’s disenchantment also came as a surprise to Dravid, who has enjoyed a great bond with the player.
The report claimed that Samson, who was injured for most of IPL 2025, was unhappy with how things unfolded at RR. However, Dravid was not the sole reason behind his displeasure. There were disagreements between the duo, but they were regular ones, which are common between any coach-captain pair. Dravid and Samson’s relationship was not completely broken.
Another reason behind Dravid’s exit was the disagreement over the captaincy candidate, where three factions supported their own candidates.
Kumar Sangakkara to return as RR head coach?
As per the report, Dravid’s sudden exit could work in Kumar Sangakkara’s favour, who might be one of the favourites to replace him as the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals. Dravid had replaced Sangakkara as the head coach of RR ahead of IPL 2025, with the Sri Lankan great taking up the role of Royals’ Director of Cricket.
Meanwhile, some other IPL franchises are interested in Dravid’s services as head coach, however, it remains to be seen if the former India batter will give his nod. As far as Samson is concerned, RR remain in talks with some franchises over a trade deal, however, there remains a strong chance that the wicket-keeper might be released or asked to stay, depending on how the situation unfolds in the coming days.