Rahul Dravid’s sudden decision to step down as Rajasthan Royals’ head coach has left many questioning the dynamics within the IPL franchise. The former India captain, who returned to the Royals last year on a multi-year deal, has also served as a player, director, and mentor for the team between 2011 and 2015. Despite being offered a broader role in the franchise, Dravid opted not to accept it, raising questions about potential differences with the Royals’ management.
Broader Role or Limited Authority?
The press release from Rajasthan Royals stated: “As part of the franchise structural review Rahul had been offered a broader position at the franchise, but has chosen not to take this.” However, insiders suggest that this elevation might have restricted Dravid’s influence over strategic team decisions rather than empowering him.
“𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝑰𝑷𝑳 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎, 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑰𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔,” 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑰𝑷𝑳 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔.
With long-time captain Sanju Samson seemingly on his way out, the Royals face difficult choices in naming a full-time leader for the team. Riyan Parag, who led the side in Samson’s absence, is reportedly the front-runner, but the presence of accomplished players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel complicates the decision.
Misalignment With Franchise Plans?
Sources close to the Royals believe Dravid may not have agreed with certain structural decisions, particularly the promotion of Riyan over more established players. Samson’s departure, coupled with the franchise’s insistence on Riyan as a key figure, might have contributed to Dravid’s exit.
“𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑺𝒂𝒎𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒆, 𝒔𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑹𝒊𝒚𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅’𝒔 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆,” 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔.
Riyan Parag showed promise in 2024 with 573 runs at a strike rate of nearly 150, but his 2025 performance as captain was mixed, scoring 393 runs at a strike rate above 166 without making a significant impact with the leadership. Meanwhile, Jaiswal, despite being untested as a leader, is considered a more accomplished player and potentially a better fit for the captaincy role.
Adding to the complexity, Riyan’s local connection to Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium makes him valuab1le to the franchise, which sees strong fan engagement in the North East. Yet, Dravid’s agreement with these structural decisions remains unclear, fueling speculation about the reasoning behind his departure.
Despite a challenging season and the team finishing ninth, the Royals’ management seemingly intended to retain a T20 World Cup-winning coach. Dravid, known for his composed demeanor, is expected to maintain his characteristic silence on the matter.
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