{"id":1989402,"date":"2025-08-31T07:57:44","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T07:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1989402"},"modified":"2025-08-31T07:57:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T07:57:44","slug":"rahul-dravid-quit-as-rajasthan-royals-coach-due-to-captaincy-row-involving-sanju-samson-riyan-parag-and-jaiswal-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/rahul-dravid-quit-as-rajasthan-royals-coach-due-to-captaincy-row-involving-sanju-samson-riyan-parag-and-jaiswal-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Rahul Dravid quit as Rajasthan Royals coach due to captaincy row involving Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag and Jaiswal: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Rahul Dravid’s decision to step down as head coach<\/a> of the Rajasthan Royals, barely a year after rejoining the franchise on a multi-year deal, has pressed the franchise deeper under the microscope. While the Royals\u2019 official statement described his departure as a personal choice despite being offered a \u201cbroader role,\u201d a report in Cricbuzz suggests a far more complex backdrop \u2014 one that includes a potential power struggle over team leadership, and Dravid\u2019s disapproval of strategic calls, particularly around the future captaincy.<\/p>\n

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Rajasthan Royals’ head coach Rahul Dravid has stepped down from the post. (PTI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Dravid, 52, had returned to the Royals ahead of the 2024 season, marking a reunion with the team he represented as a player (2011\u20132013) and later mentored and directed. But despite his stature as one of the most respected minds in the game and a recent T20 World Cup-winning stint as India\u2019s head coach, his time at RR has ended abruptly after a disastrous 2025 IPL campaign, where the team finished ninth on the points table.<\/p>\n

The official communication from RR on Saturday claimed Dravid was offered a “broader position” in the franchise as part of a structural review. However, as per a PTI report, the role was more of a \u201cpunishment promotion\u201d, effectively sidelining him from key strategic decisions \u2014 including squad building and captaincy appointments.<\/p>\n

However, HT.com was unable to independently verify these claims as the messages to the Rajasthan Royals camp went unanswered. <\/p>\n

Rift Over Riyan Parag\u2019s Ascendancy?<\/h2>\n

At the heart of this friction appears to be the Royals\u2019 growing push to make Riyan Parag<\/a> the team\u2019s next full-time captain, particularly with longtime skipper Sanju Samson likely on his way out after injury troubles and a tumultuous season.<\/p>\n

Parag led the team in multiple games during Samson\u2019s absence this year but failed to inspire with either bat or tactical acumen. While his 2024 season was impressive \u2014 573 runs at a strike rate close to 150 \u2014 he followed it up with a less consistent 2025, managing 393 runs at a strike rate of 166, without significantly elevating his captaincy credentials.<\/p>\n

Despite this, the Royals management is reportedly keen on backing the Assam all-rounder, citing his massive fan base in the North East, especially at Guwahati\u2019s Barsapara Stadium, which serves as RR\u2019s second home ground. Franchise insiders acknowledge that Parag is integral to RR’s branding and outreach in that region.<\/p>\n

However, such reasoning may not have sat well with Dravid, known for his emphasis on merit-based selection and long-term cricketing vision. With Yashasvi Jaiswal<\/a>, a regular India international and consistent performer in the IPL, in the same squad, Dravid was reportedly not aligned with the idea of overlooking a more accomplished player in favour of Parag for leadership.<\/p>\n

The situation is further complicated by the presence of Dhruv Jurel, another rising star from the Indian Test side, and seen as a future leader by many. Jurel was recently set to lead Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy before illness ruled him out.<\/p>\n

Fallout of Sanju Samson\u2019s Expected Exit<\/h2>\n

Sources indicate that Sanju Samson’s likely departure from the Royals has been a critical turning point. Dravid, who shares a close rapport with Samson and has mentored him during his India A and national team days, is believed to have been deeply unsettled by the way the transition was being handled.<\/p>\n

“Dravid has always backed Sanju \u2014 as a player and a leader. To see the team planning its next phase without much clarity on Sanju\u2019s future likely added to his discomfort,” a source tracking the franchise\u2019s internal dynamics said.<\/p>\n

Silence from Dravid, Questions for Royals<\/h2>\n

As expected, Dravid has maintained a dignified silence, refraining from making any public comment on his departure. But the nature and timing of his exit \u2014 right after one turbulent season \u2014 and the swirl of reports around captaincy disputes suggest that all was not well behind the scenes.<\/p>\n

While franchises are free to chart their own strategic direction, letting go of a coach of Dravid\u2019s calibre \u2014 especially one who just led India to T20 World Cup glory \u2014 raises eyebrows.<\/p>\n

For the Royals, the road ahead involves not only finding a new head coach but also resolving their leadership vacuum amid increasing scrutiny over internal decisions. Whether Riyan Parag is handed the reins, or the franchise reconsiders in favour of Jaiswal or Jurel, could well define the Royals\u2019 future \u2014 and possibly determine how fans perceive their handling of one of cricket\u2019s most respected figures.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.hindustantimes.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rahul Dravid’s decision to step down as head coach of the Rajasthan Royals, barely a year after rejoining the franchise on a multi-year deal, has pressed the franchise deeper under the microscope. While the Royals\u2019 official statement described his departure as a personal choice despite being offered a \u201cbroader role,\u201d a report in Cricbuzz suggests […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1989403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[359049,324900,324902,310187,326878],"class_list":["post-1989402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty","tag-ipl-campaign","tag-rahul-dravid","tag-rajasthan-royals","tag-riyan-parag","tag-sanju-samson"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Rahul-Dravid-quit-as-Rajasthan-Royals-coach-due-to-captaincy.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1989402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1989403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1989402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1989402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1989402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}