Rahul Dravid Quits Rajasthan Royals: Is Sanju Samson’s Potential Exit the Real Reason?

Rahul Dravid has resolved to leave Rajasthan Royals following a fallout with the team management in IPL 2025. His leaving was confirmed on Saturday (August 30), thus concluding a tenure that was supposed to be far-reaching considering he had a multi-year contract.

Rahul Dravid exit linked to Sanju Samson’s future

It is said that Dravid was disturbed by the fact that Sanju Samson could leave the Royals. The ambiguity regarding the captain position, in addition to the promotion of Riyan Parag as a temporary captain last season is said to have added frustrations to the old coach.

Formally, the franchise presented the exit of Dravid as the end of his present position. The Royals claimed that he had been given a wider role in the organization which encompassed their global T20 activities but the previous India coach declined.

Royals’ statement on Rahul Dravid departure

“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,” the Royals’ statement read.

Nonetheless, insiders feel that this new role would have decreased the role of Rahul Dravid in the tactical planning of the team. He would have been transferred to an administrative role, which is not supposed to have been attractive to him, rather than manage the squad directly.

The reason of such changes was explained by an IPL support staff member. “If you have ever worked with any IPL team, just know one thing. Whenever a head coach is offered a broader role, it is like a punishment promotion. It means you have no role in actual team building process,” the staffer told PTI.

Sanju Samson exit remains a looming issue

The greater worry of Rajasthan Royals remains to be the potential exit of Sanju Samson. Some believed that by Rahul Dravid quitting, Samson might remain but the news says otherwise. Samson remains to be tipped to move (Chennai Super Kings remains a good candidate to his signature).

Without him, Riyan Parag is regarded as the preferred candidate to be the leader of the team. Parag already led RR in eight games in the previous season but the performance was not very promising because the team lost six of them.

Riyan Parag promotion sparks debate

The marketing of Riyan Parag has been an eye opener in the cricketing world. He is a good brand figure to the Royals in the North-East because of his popularity there, but his leadership history is weaker.

The decision of Parag over settled young players like the Yashasvi Jaiswal or trusted players like Dhruv Jurel has been regarded as a controversial one. This move coupled with the imminent departure of Sanju Samson seems to have caused friction which even Rahul Dravid could not overcome.

With Dravid’s departure, Rajasthan Royals face not just a coaching transition but also a major test of leadership ahead of IPL 2026. The franchise has now to contend with its cricketing aspirations and its business strategies, a fine line that has cost them one of the most respected brains in cricket.

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