Rahul Dravid and Rajasthan Royals have decided to part ways after a disappointing 2025 Indian Premier League season. The Royals have finished ninth on the table of the recently concluded season with four wins from 14 games. Dravid also had stints earlier with the franchise, both as a captain and coach. The 52-year-old took the Royals job in September last year after stepping down as the Indian Coach in July after winning the T20 World Cup 2024.
“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,” an RR statement read.
Official Statement pic.twitter.com/qyHYVLVewz
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) August 30, 2025
Samson Saga
Royals find themselves in a catch-22 situation with Sanju Samson’s situation, who missed the bulk of the 2025 season with an injury and has expressed his desire to part ways with the franchise. The big dilemma in front of the franchise now is whether to accept Samson’s request and release him back into the auction pool or indulge in a trade.
Having retained him last year before the big player auctions, Rajasthan can still hold onto the player for the next two seasons, but The Indian Express understands that for the status quo to continue, both the player and the franchise have to bury a few differences. If Rajasthan refuse to release the player, then Samson will have no choice but to stay put as IPL rules bestow the power to the franchise, which has signed the player on a three-year agreement.
The development in the Rajasthan camp is being seen with keen interest from Chennai Super Kings, who have expressed their interest to sign the player. After the conclusion of the IPL, Samson even met with CSK management and head coach Stephen Fleming during the Major League Cricket season in US. It is understood that Chennai are open to the idea of bringing the 30-year-old to Chepauk through a trade deal via cash. But it has hit a roadblock, with Rajasthan preferring an exchange of two players from Chennai. The five-time champions as a CSK policy have traded players with other franchises. When they bought Robin Uthappa ahead of the 2021 season from Rajasthan it was an all-cash deal.
