Jaipur, Sep 6: Former Indian skipper and head coach Rahul Dravid will be making a return to Rajasthan Royals (RR) as a head coach ahead of the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year, announced the franchise on Friday.

"Royals Sports Group-owned franchise Rajasthan Royals today announced the appointment of former Indian captain and coach Rahul Dravid as Head Coach on a multi-year contract," said a statement from the franchise. The former Royals captain and coach spent five seasons with the franchise from 2011 to 2015 and will commence with the team immediately, working with Royals' Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara to implement the franchise's overall cricketing strategy.

Dravid recently ended his tenure with Team India on a high, securing the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 trophy after beating South Africa in the final by seven runs back in June.

From 2011-13 seasons, Dravid played 46 matches for the franchise, scoring 1,276 runs at an average of 29.67, with seven fifties. His best score was 66.

The 51-year-old Dravid, who is inarguably one of the greatest batters to have represented India, began his coaching career with the Royals back in 2014 when he transitioned from serving as the captain to being the team's mentor.

Since then, Dravid has been involved in various capacities with the National Cricket Academy (NCA), the Indian Men's U19 and the Indian Men's Senior team, leading the nation to the top of the Test, ODI and T20I rankings during his tenure, and topping it up with the ICC Men's T20 World Cup crown recently.

Welcoming Dravid back to the Royals Family, Jake Lush McCrum, Chief Executive Officer, Royals Sports Group, said, "We are delighted to be bringing Rahul back to the franchise. His exceptional coaching capabilities are evident with the transformation he has driven in Indian cricket. He also has a deep connection to the franchise, and we have seen that passion come through in all our conversations. His expertise of getting the best out of both younger and experienced talent, along with the values with which he operates, align seamlessly with our franchise, and just a quick skim of social media tells me the fans will be excited to see him back with us."

"Rahul has already got to work with Kumar (Sangakkara) and the rest of the team, as we prepare for this exciting new period for the franchise starting with IPL retention and the auction just around the corner," added Jake Lush McCrum.

Expressing his thoughts upon his return to the Royals, Rahul Dravid said, "I am pleased to be returning to the franchise I have called 'home' for a number of years in the past. After the World Cup, I feel it is the ideal time for me to take on another challenge, and the Royals is the perfect place to do that. A lot of hard work and deliberations from Manoj, Jake, Kumar, and the team have gone into the progression that the franchise has made over the past few years. It's an exciting opportunity for us to take this team to the next level given the kind of talent and resources we have at our disposal, and I am looking forward to getting started."

Manoj Badale, Lead Owner, Rajasthan Royals, also welcomed Dravid to the franchise. He said, "Rahul has a long and deep history with the Royals. It is where he started his coaching journey. We are delighted to be bringing him back to the franchise. Rahul Dravid has few parallels in global sport, both for what he has achieved as a former player and a coach, but also for what he represents as a human being."

"We have made fantastic progress in our on-field performance over the past few years, but there is still lots to learn, improve and grow. His return will, hopefully, further accelerate our progress and will be a great boost for everyone involved, most importantly our players and our fans," Badale added.

Royals' Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara, who assumed the role of Head Coach for the past four seasons, welcomed Dravid to the franchise, saying, "Rahul is one of the greatest players to have played the game, but what he has achieved over the past decade as a coach is extraordinary. The characteristics that he possesses as a coach to nurture talent but also enable them to consistently perform at the highest level, will allow the Rajasthan Royals to further challenge for the title. I have already had some meaningful conversations with him about his vision for this team, and he is looking forward to delivering the results for the Royals." (ANI)

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