The former India coach had re-joined the franchise just few months ago
Rahul Dravid returning to Rajasthan Royals for a second stint as the head coach was seen as a sign of ascendency by the franchise management. Dravid had retired from the Indian Premier League (IPL) and then also started mentoring young talents that came through the ranks.
Among them was Sanju Samson who had credited Dravid for his development from his junior days as Dravid later took on the role as the head of the National Cricket Academy and the Under-19 men’s team coach. Dravid was then promoted to India’s head coach and played a crucial role in them winning the 2024 T20 World Cup with Samson in the squad.
The reunion of the mentor and the pupil could’ve been a great revival for the franchise who were looking to reach the final again after the 2022 season.
However Samson wasn’t available as the skipper, batter and as the wicket-keeper throughout the season as he was first recovering from a thumb injury from international duty and then a side strain he suffered while batting against Delhi Capitals.
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Whether the Kerala batter was present on the pitch or not, Rajasthan were woeful with their chasing abilities as they bottled four chases despite being on the verge of easy wins. They ended the season just one spot above bottom-placed Chennai Super Kings.
This week, Dravid left the franchise, just a few months after his appointment after it was revealed that he had declined a different position within the franchise.
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter AB de Villiers felt that Dravid might’ve been ‘kicked out’ as he declined the broader position.
“It sounds to me like the fact that he turned down that other role, sort of like he was kicked out, which is never ideal. But maybe Rajasthan have different ideas for the upcoming season. Maybe they want to shake things up a bit and move forward with that,” De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
De Villiers also pointed to a poor IPL 2025 auction for the 2008 champions as they lost a mercurial player like Jos Buttler, who was let go after eight seasons with the franchise. Buttler moved on to Gujarat Titans and continued to be match-winner with 359 runs from 13 innings at a strike rate of 163.
“I don’t think they had the greatest auction last time, as they let go of some incredible players, the likes of Jos Butler, to name but a few, which I thought was a mistake. They sometimes are a good thing, but not overly aggressive for you. You can let one or two go, but they. They let a huge bulk of their team go at once, I think, a gradual sort of decline,” the Proteas legend added.
