Rahul Dravid’s IPL Return on the Horizon
After successfully guiding the Indian team to a T20 World Cup 2024 triumph as head coach, Rahul Dravid is reportedly gearing up for a new adventure in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Since his tenure as the head coach of the Indian team came to an end, Dravid has been linked with multiple franchises in the T20 league.
Not Kolkata Knight Riders
Earlier reports suggested that the batting great could decide to join Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), especially as the franchise saw their mentor Gautam Gambhir leave the team to fill the void left by Dravid in the Indian team as head coach. However, it has now been reported that Dravid is in talks with his former IPL side Rajasthan Royals (RR).
In Talks with Rajasthan Royals
“Talks are going on between RR and Dravid, and an announcement in this regard is around the corner,” a source told the Times of India. As Dravid hunts for a new adventure, Gambhir has begun his stint as the Indian team’s head coach. He flew to Sri Lanka with the other members of the Indian team ahead of the white-ball assignment.
Big Shoes to Fill
Before the team’s departure, Gambhir admitted he has some big shoes to fill, considering what Dravid has accomplished with the Indian team as head coach. As India lifted the T20 World Cup 2024 title, beating South Africa in the final, Dravid joked about being ‘jobless’ from the next month and asked reporters if they had any offers. A man of Dravid’s talent and gold-worthy experience in Indian cricket is understandably in high demand.
A Balance Between Career and Family
Dravid didn’t want to continue as the Indian team’s head coach because he didn’t want to spend 10 months a year traveling, keeping himself away from his family. However, the IPL is different. In the T20 league, Dravid only needs to be with the franchise for 2-3 months a year, a prospect he could fancy.
Past Experience
The former India captain has worked as a mentor and coach with IPL franchises in the past. Dravid was the coach of the Delhi Daredevils franchise before leaving the job in 2017 over a ‘conflict of interest’. Since ending his IPL career, Dravid has worked as the coach of India’s junior teams, including Under-19 and India A.
Future Prospects
He was most recently working as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru before taking up the India job in 2021. Now linked with the Rajasthan Royals, it will be interesting to see in what capacity the former India head coach will work with the franchise.(online casino games)