India’s Rahul Dravid named coach of IPL’s Rajasthan

NEW DELHI: India´s Rahul Dravid has been named head coach of Indian Premier League team Rajasthan Royals, the franchise said on Friday, weeks after he quit as national coach following the T20 World Cup triumph.

It will be 51-year-old Dravid´s second stint with the Royals, where he was captain before moving to a mentor role in 2014. Dravid has been appointed head coach “on a multi-year contract,” the Royals said in a statement.

Sri Lanka´s Kumar Sangakkara has been Rajasthan´s director of cricket since 2021 and will stay on with the franchise to work with Dravid, who spent five years with the Royals from 2011 to 2015.

“His exceptional coaching capabilities are evident with the transformation he´s driven in Indian cricket,” Jake Lush McCrum, chief executive officer of the Royal Sports Group, said in the statement.

Dravid coached the Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, to their first global title in 11 years when they beat South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados in June. Rajasthan have not won a trophy since 2008, when late Australian great Shane Warne led them to an inaugural title.

Dravid, nicknamed “The Wall” for his defiant batting under pressure, played 164 Tests, 344 one-day and one T20 international for India during a career lasting from 1996 to 2012. He scored 24,208 runs across the three formats and also captained India in Tests and ODI matches.