IPL legend AB de Villiers has termed the exit of Rahul Dravid from the head coach’s position at Rajasthan Royals as an unpleasant situation, claiming that the former India captain may have also been kicked out in Premier League fashion.
Returning for his coaching stint in the IPL after eight years in the 2025 season, Dravid’s Royals finished ninth on the table. Reports have also emerged since the end of the season that captain Sanju Samson has expressed his interest to leave the franchise. Dravid’s decision to exit the franchise was confirmed last Saturday, with the inaugural IPL winners claiming that the former Royals skipper was offered a “broade” position with the franchise moving forward, which he later turned down.
‘Owner’s call’
“It sounds to me like it was an owner’s call, a management kind of call. They gave him an option to have a broader role in the team, which he turned down. Maybe he was upset and he wanted to still be involved in that dugout. Maybe it was his call. But Rahul leaves big footsteps behind and big shoes to fill. He is a larger than life kind of character and knows a lot about the game. I personally have spoken to youngsters before, where many speak about him having a huge influence in their careers,” remarked de Villiers on his YouTube channel.
de Villiers then went on to make a sensational claim that Dravid, who led India to the T20 World Cup triumph last year, may have been booted out in a Premier League football style, with coaches and managers bearing the pressure of producing rapid results.
“The coaches and managers in leagues are under pressure to produce results and win trophies. Once they don’t, they start hearing from owners. We don’t know the facts but given he turned down the other role, maybe 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.”
de Villiers also slammed Rajasthan’s dismal IPL Mega Auction last November, criticising the decision to let go of a collection of major star players together.
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“I didn’t think they had the greatest auction last time. They let go of some incredible players like Jos Buttler and a few others, which I thought was a mistake. Sometimes it’s a good thing but not overly aggressive. You can let one or two go but they let a huge bulk of their team go at once. It should be more gradual,” he added.
