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IPL 2026: 3 Teams Which Could Appoint Rahul Dravid As Head Coach
Follow UsThese three teams have been lacking that calmness and an astute cricketing brain combination in their backroom for quite some time.
Rahul Dravid left Rajasthan Royals ahead of the start of the new Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Some say that it was not a mutual separation as Dravid had just joined last year.
Mutual or not, separation is done, and it presents former India captain and T20 World Cup-winning coach with an opportunity to look for greener pastures elsewhere.
Thus, here are three teams that can rope in Dravid as their head coach ahead of next IPL season.
Also Read: 3 Candidates Who Can Replace Rahul Dravid As Rajasthan Royals Head Coach
Gujarat Titans
The Gujarat Titans, after an outstanding showing in their first two seasons with Hardik Pandya as their captain, have not been able to replicate the same without him.
It’s not to say that Ashish Nehra has done a bad job as a coach, because making three playoffs in four seasons is as good as it gets. But maybe they are lacking a fresh viewpoint that Dravid can bring in.
Moreover, the news of the Titans' new majority stakeholders, Torrent Group, wanting an overhaul of the coaching staff, made rounds ahead of last season’s start. Maybe it is time that news gets confirmed as Dravid could be the best fit to get the best out of like-minded Shubman Gill as the skipper of GT.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Just as Dravid parted ways with RR, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) did it with their head coach Chandrakant Pandit. Thus, the place of a coach is vacant in KKR, and they can bring in Dravid to fill that gap.
Dravid has a win percentage of 62.6 in all T20s that he has either coached in or been the captain-coach or mentor of the side. Overall, he has played the role of coach or mentor in 131 T20s, winning 82 and losing 49.
Thus, he makes a clinical choice as a coach and, in terms of brand value as well, for KKR, who want to start fresh after their mentor and captain, Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer respectively, left them after a successful 2024 season.
Lucknow Super Giants
LSG brought in Justin Langer, a famous Australian coach, to replace Gautam Gambhir, who went to KKR ahead of IPL 2024. But in two seasons so far with Langer, they have not been able to reach the playoffs and thus need a fresher perspective, maybe.
Dravid, who has a habit of taking new challenges, could maybe guide them to their first ever final with Rishabh Pant, a known ally of his, as his captain.