With the IPL (Indian Premier League) 2026 on the horizon, inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals recently came forward and announced that their head coach Rahul Dravid has stepped down from his role after just one year in charge. Royal’s statement revealed that they offered Dravid a broader position in the franchise, but he refused.
Speaking on the same, former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers took centre stage and gave his take on Dravid’s situation. He opined that maybe Dravid was upset about the offer and wanted to stay in the dugout for the franchise
"It sounds to me like it was an owner's call, a management kind of call. They gave him an option to have a broader role in the team, which he turned down. Maybe he was upset and he wanted to still be involved in that dugout. Maybe it was his call. But Rahul leaves big footsteps behind and big shoes to fill. He is a larger than life kind of character and knows a lot about the game. I personally have spoken to youngsters before, where many speak about him having a huge influence in their careers,” De Villiers said in a video on his YouTube channel.
De Villiers also talked about RR’s auction strategy
It is worth noting that many opined that Rajasthan Royals had a subpar auction, letting go of the likes of Jos Buttler, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, and Yuzvendra Chahal. The franchise was unable to rope in players of equal stature, which resulted in them finishing in ninth place in the IPL 2025 standings. De Villiers talked about the side’s auction strategy as well.
"I didn't think they had the greatest auction last time. They let go of some incredible players like Jos Buttler and a few others, which I thought was a mistake. Sometimes it's a good thing but not overly aggressive. You can let one or two go but they let a huge bulk of their team go at once. It should be more gradual," said De Villiers.