Rahul Dravid Steps Down As Rajasthan Royals Head Coach Amidst Sanju Samson Trade Reports

Hyderabad: Rajasthan Royals have suffered another major setback amid reports of Sanju Samson leaving the team before IPL 2026. The team's head coach, Rahul Dravid, has resigned from his post and has also refused to play a wider role in the team. Rajasthan's performance under Dravid's coaching in IPL 2025 was quite disappointing. They finished ninth in the points table with only four wins out of 14 matches. Rajasthan was ahead of the tenth-placed Chennai Super Kings only based on net run rate. Rahul Dravid denied a broader position at the club Rahul Dravid was announced as the new head coach by Rajasthan in September last year, when he ended his three-year stint with the Indian team after the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup win. But, as part of a recent structural review following Rajasthan's poor performance in 2025, the franchise offered Dravid a broader role, which he declined to take. "Head coach Rahul Dravid will conclude his tenure with the franchise ahead of IPL 2026," the release stated. "Rahul has been central to the Royals' journey for many years. His leadership has influenced a generation of players, instilled strong values within the squad, and left an indelible mark on the culture of the franchise. As part of the franchise structural review, Rahul had been offered a broader position at the franchise, but has chosen not to take this. The Rajasthan Royals, its players, and millions of fans worldwide extend heartfelt thanks to Rahul for his remarkable service to the franchise." Second coach to leave franchise before start of the IPL Rahul Dravid is the second head coach to leave an IPL franchise ahead of the 2026 mega auction. Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders had parted ways with Chandrakant Pandit, who joined the team ahead of IPL 2023 and led KKR to the 2024 title. Dravid's association with the Rajasthan Royals Dravid played for Rajasthan for three years, including captaining the team in 2012 and 2013, after which he was the team's mentor in the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He also worked as the team head coach in 2025. According to the News agency, IANS, Dravid's separation with RR has happened after rumours of differences between him and the franchise during IPL 2025.