ESPNcricinfo has learned that Dravid has recently signed a contract with the franchise and has held initial talks on player retention ahead of the upcoming mega auction. He has a long-standing working relationship with RR captain Sanju Samson, who came through the Under-19 ranks under Dravid’s tutelage.

Dravid has a history with RR. He was their captain in IPL 2012 and 2013, and served as team director and mentor in the 2014 and 2015 seasons. In 2016, Dravid moved to Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) until he became the head of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore in 2019. In 2021, he was appointed as the head coach of the Indian men’s team, ending his three-year tenure with them. First ICC title in 11 years

RR is also likely to sign former India batsman Vikram Rathore as one of Dravid’s assistant coaches. Rathore, a former India selector, was part of Dravid’s coaching staff at the NCA before becoming India’s batting coach in 2019.

It is understood that while Dravid will take charge of Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, Kumar Sangakkara, who has been their director of cricket since 2021, will continue with his franchise and look after his teams in other leagues – SA20 and Pearl Royals in Barbados. Royals in Cpl.

RR have not won the IPL title since the inaugural season in 2008. Their next best performance was in 2022 when they finished second against Gujarat Titans. They failed to make the play-offs in 2023, finishing fifth in the league despite a strong start to the season, but did so in 2024 and were knocked out in Qualifier 2.