The legendary South African national cricket team batsman Ab de Villiers made a huge claim at the exit of Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach Rahul Dravid.
Ab de Villiers feels that Rahul Dravid has actually been kicked out of Rajasthan Royals (RR) after the team failed to meet expectations under his leadership.
Rahul Dravid and Rajasthan Royals break up
On Saturday, August 30, Rajasthan Royals (RR) announced that it had decided to say goodbye to head coach Rahul Dravid ahead of India’s Premier League (IPL) 2026.
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Dravid was officially appointed head coach of the new Rajasthan Royals in September 2024 and signed a multi-year deal with the franchise.
He has been associated with the franchise for a long time, so it was homecoming for Rahul Dravid. In 2011 he was named captain for the IPL 2012 and 2013 seasons after being roped by the team. He then served as a team mentor and director in 2014 and 2015.
Expectations from the Rajasthan Royals under Rahul Dravid in 2025 have joined the team behind the T20 World Cup 2024 victory against the Indian National Cricket Team.
However, Rajasthan Royals had poor auctions and played badly in IPL 2025, finishing ninth in the point table with just four wins in 14 games.
In a statement, RR revealed that they offered a broader strategic role with Rahul Dravid, but he chose not to accept it. According to the report, Kumar Sangakkara could be appointed as the new head coach, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
He’s a bigger character than life – Rahul Dravid
Speaking on his social media show 360 Live, Ab de Villiers speculated that Dravid may have been fired after Dravid rejected a broader role, and expressed his desire to be part of team management.
“That sounds a bit to me like a call like the owner or management. They gave him the option to play a wider role in the team. He refused. Maybe he was mad because he really wanted to be a dugout. Maybe he was his phone, de Villiers said.
“He’s a bigger character than life and he knows a lot about the game, and I also talked to young people personally on this show. In fact, some of my interviews were a lot of people who talked about how he’s had a big impact on his career.
Maybe they want to shake things a bit and use it to move forward – Ab de Villiers
Ab de Villiers further explained in a football analogy how Rahul Dravid was kicked out due to poor performance, and expressed his opinion that the franchise would go through a big shakeup.
“It can be seen in the Premier League and in the Football League, where managers and coaches are constantly under the great pressure of bringing the trophy home.
“But Rajasthan may have a different idea next season. Maybe they want to shake things up a bit and move it forward. They name some great players like Jos Butler, and I thought I was wrong. Think about the progressive decline.”
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