Rahul Dravid set to be appointed Rajasthan Royals head coach for IPL 2025
New Delhi (PTI): Rahul Dravid, who masterminded India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, is set to take over Rajasthan Royals’ head coach role in the IPL 2025.
Dravid, who is currently on a short career-break since India’s victory at Barbados in June, will soon start working with the franchise on important issues such as player retention ahead of the auction later this year.
“The talks have reached the final stages and he will soon step into the head coach job,” a source close to the development told PTI.
Kumar Sangakkara, who has been Royals’ Director of Cricket since 2021, will continue in his role and is likely to be more hands-on with Barbados Royals (CPL) and Paarl Royals (SA20).
Dravid has a long-standing association with Royals as their captain for two seasons in 2012 and 2013 before serving as mentor for two more years.
Dravid then moved to Delhi Capitals in a similar role in 2016 and continued with the team till he assumed the role of the head of National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
In 2021, he moved on from NCA to take up India’s head coach role from Ravi Shastri.
Now at Royals, Dravid will reunite with Sanju Samson, who is all set to be retained as RR captain for another season. Samson blossomed first under the 52-year-old.
Meanwhile, ESPNCricinfo reported that Vikram Rathour, who was batting coach of India during Dravid’s tenure, could be roped in by the franchise as its assistant coach.
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Mamata asks TMC nominees not to leave counting centres as EC data shows BJP leading
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged TMC candidates and agents to remain vigilant and not to leave counting centres, alleging that there was a "game plan" by the BJP and the Election Commission to show the saffron party taking a lead in the early trends of counting.
In a video message issued during the counting of votes, the TMC supremo appealed to party workers to stay put and not to lose morale.
"I appeal to everyone that neither TMC candidates nor counting agents should abandon counting centres," she said.
As trends on the Election Commission website indicated the BJP leading in 188 seats against the TMC's 94, Banerjee maintained that her party was still ahead in a significant number of constituencies.
"We are still ahead in 170 seats, but I request everyone not to lose hope," she said, adding that there were "around 70 to 100 seats where we are leading, but they are not sharing the data of those seats".
"A false narrative is being spread," she alleged.
The chief minister accused the Election Commission of "not declaring results or leads" in areas where the TMC was ahead.
"This is a game plan by the EC and the BJP as it (poll panel) is not declaring results or leads in areas where we are leading," she said.
Banerjee also alleged irregularities in the counting process at some locations.
"In several places, counting has been stopped after the first two to three rounds. In Kalyani, we have caught seven machines with severe anomalies," she claimed.
She further alleged that TMC workers were being "harassed with the help of central forces" and that party offices were being "vandalised and forcefully captured".
"With the help of central forces, they are harassing and torturing AITC workers. Our offices have been vandalised," she said, also alleging that voter list revision exercises were "purposefully done to target seats where we were strong".
Seeking to reassure party workers, Banerjee said more rounds of counting were yet to take place and urged them to stay firm.
"Fourteen to eighteen rounds of counting will happen. You will surely emerge victorious. Don't be afraid; fight like tigers," she said.
Her remarks came as counting trends suggested that the BJP was leading in 188 seats and had crossed the halfway mark of 148 in the 294-member assembly, pointing to a potential shift in the state's political landscape.
Counting for 293 constituencies was underway with postal ballots, followed by EVM votes.
Officials cautioned that trends could change as more rounds are counted, and final results would be known later in the day.
জরুরি বার্তা pic.twitter.com/Uc82oihwEL
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 4, 2026
