Former India skipper and head coach Rahul Dravid ended his association with the Rajasthan Royals and resigned on August 30. This year, Dravid joined the Royals after completing his term with the Indian men’s cricket team last year. He however started off his first season in charge disastrously.
Rahul Dravid’s Struggles With Rajasthan Royals
The Rajasthan Royals had a rough ride in IPL 2025 under the leadership of Rahul Dravid. The side was only able to win four out of 14 matches in the league and fell to position nine on the points table. Inequality and lack of balancing the team were cited as the primary reasons of their downfall.
Conjecture about the departure of Dravid started shortly after the end of the season. The question many fans and experts asked themselves was whether the decision was mutual or whether it was imposed on the legendary cricketer. This doubt was gaining ground when AB de Villiers contributed his view on the issue.
AB de Villiers Suggests Rahul Dravid Was Pushed Out
Former South African captain AB de Villiers made a bold statement about the exit of Rahul Dravid speaking on his social media show 360 LIVE. He pointed out that the franchise management had possibly forced Dravid out.
“It sort of sounds to me like it was an owner or management kind of call. They gave him an option to have a broader role in the team. He sort of turned that down. Maybe he was upset because he really wanted to be still involved. He wanted to be in the dugout. Maybe it was his call. I don’t know. We’ll. I’m pretty sure we’ll find out once we get him talking about it in the future. Maybe. But Rahul, obviously, is leaving big footsteps behind, big shoes to fill,” De Villiers said.
The ex-RCB star likened the scenario to football, whereby coaches are under a continuous pressure to perform. When the trophies and success are not forthcoming, owners usually intervene to make rough decisions that expose coaches to vulnerability.
Rajasthan Royals Future Plans Under Spotlight
AB de Villiers believed that the franchise might have been affected by Rahul Dravid refusing to take a different 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.”
This begs the question of how the Royals planned in the long term and whether they are prepared to have another massive rebuild before IPL 2026. The fans are left wondering who would replace him/her and whether the new coach would be able to reverse the fortunes of the team.
AB de Villiers Criticizes Rajasthan Royals’ Auction Moves
In addition to the departure of Rahul Dravid, de Villiers also had his say on squad strategy of the Royals. He believed that the franchise watered itself out in the 2025 auction when it disposed of proven match-winners.
“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.”
With Rahul Dravid gone and dubious auction calls, the exit of Rahul Dravid coupled with the questionable auction calls has cast the franchise in a more negative light than ever before as Rajasthan Royals prepare to enter the next season.
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