Was Dravid 'kicked out' by Rajasthan Royals?

‘Coaches and managers are always under pressure to perform and bring trophies home. Once they don’t, they start hearing from the owners who make the decisions for the teams’

‘We don’t know the facts really. It sounds to me that the fact he turned down the other role meant he was sort of kicked out’

Rahul Dravid’s sudden exit from Rajasthan Royals has raised eyebrows across the cricketing world..

Rajasthan Royals confirmed on August 30 that they had parted ways with Dravid, who declined a newly created broader role offered to him after the franchise conducted a structural review ahead of the 2025 season.

Dravid, a former Royals captain, had joined the franchise after guiding India to the T20 World Cup 2024 title. Expectations were high that he would replicate that success under Sanju Samson’s leadership, but the campaign fell flat. Rajasthan finished ninth in the 10-team league — one of their worst seasons in recent years — plagued by a poor auction strategy, inconsistent performances, and unsettled team combinations.

'Sometimes, as you’ve seen in football leagues like the Premier League, coaches and managers are always under pressure to perform and bring trophies home. Once they don’t, they start hearing from the owners who make the decisions for the teams. We don’t know the facts really. It sounds to me that the fact he turned down the other role meant he was sort of kicked out, which is never ideal,' De Villiers said on his YouTube show.

'But maybe Rajasthan have different ideas for the upcoming season. Maybe they want to shake things up a bit and move forward,' he added.

Speculation has also grown that Dravid disagreed with several of the franchise’s plans, including the idea of handing the captaincy to Riyan Parag for IPL 2026. De Villiers hinted that Dravid may not have been comfortable moving into a non-coaching role.

'I don’t know what exactly happened there. It sort of sounds to me like an owner’s call. They gave him an option to have a broader role in the team, which he turned down. Maybe he was upset and still wanted to be in that dugout. Maybe it was his call. We don’t know, but we’ll find out in the future,' De Villiers added.