The wall of Indian cricket, Rahul Dravid, has resigned from the position of head coach for Rajasthan Royals, breaking a short but decisive one-year stint with the inaugural edition champion. Today, the franchise announced that the legendary Dravid has parted ways before the next IPL 2026 edition through social media channels.
In IPL 2025, the 52-year-old iconic and former cricketer guided the Royals despite facing a critical injury to his foot, trapping him in his wheelchair. Just before beginning a full circle moment on September 6, 2024, with a multi-year contract, he ended his successful tenure with the T20 World Cup-winning Team India in 2024. He came back to the Royals campaign after serving as a player and coach during 2011-15 in the initial phase of the Royals in the IPL.
The Royals had one of the worst seasons in IPL 2025, where they secured just four victories out of 14 matches, but Dravid instilled the culture of promoting young players with values of discipline, stability and focus. As part of the structural evaluation, Dravid was handed a renewed role, but he quit the position. The Royals scrambled in the last season, ending the 18th edition at ninth spot as various matches turned into defeats after giving up during sticky moments.
Dravid’s choice to step down might be a thoughtful one for his need to find some space after years of an extended timeline with franchise cricket. As he has walked away, the Rajasthan Royals are set to hunt a replacement as the position of head coach has gone vacant. The management is reportedly seeking both Indian and international options to fill the gap ahead of IPL 2026.
The fans and young talents will look at the former India skipper as a source of inspiration for his effective involvement in both IPL and international cricket.
