Big IPL Shock: Rahul Dravid Resigns as Rajasthan Royals Coach Ahead of 2026

Jaipur (The Uttam Hindu): Ahead of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a shocking news has come out from the Rajasthan Royals camp. The team's head coach and Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid has resigned from his post. Rajasthan Royals informed their fans about this big change through a post on social media on Saturday.

According to reports, this decision is of Rahul Dravid himself. However, speculations have started about the reasons behind his sudden decision, in which the disappointing performance of the team in the last season is also being considered a big reason.

Rajasthan Royals' performance in IPL 2025 under the supervision of Rahul Dravid was very poor. The team could win only 4 out of 14 matches and finished 9th in the points table with losses in 10 matches. During the season, reports of a rift between captain Sanju Samson and coach Dravid also came in the media, although both of them denied these reports at that time.

Rajasthan Royals issued a press release praising Dravid's contribution. The franchise said, "Rajasthan Royals are announcing today that head coach Rahul Dravid is ending his tenure ahead of IPL 2026. Rahul has been at the center of the Royals' journey for many years. His leadership has influenced a generation of players."

The franchise also revealed that Rahul was offered a bigger position but he decided not to accept it. The team expressed its heartfelt thanks to Dravid for his services.

This was Rahul Dravid's second stint at Rajasthan Royals. He joined the Royals after stepping down as the head coach of the Indian team after the T20 World Cup 2024. Earlier, he was part of the team as a player from 2011 to 2013 and as a mentor till 2015. His sudden departure will now require the franchise to look for a new coach ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.