"He had balanced views" Rahul Dravid praises Sanju Samson for involvement in discussions on RR's IPL 2025 retentions

Rahul Dravid has rejoined the Rajasthan Royals as head coach after concluding his stint with the Indian team.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach Rahul Dravid has opened up on the discussions he had with captain Sanju Samson before submitting the list of their retained players for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction.

RR are one of the only two franchises that have retained six players, the maximum limit allowed by the BCCI.

Apart from skipper Sanju Samson (INR 18 crore), RR have retained Yashasvi Jaiswal (INR 18 crore), Riyan Parag (INR 14 crore), Dhruv Jurel (INR 14 crore), Shimron Hetmyer (INR 11 crore), Sandeep Sharma (INR 4 crore).

They decided to part ways with senior players Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin, which Dravid says was a “difficult” decision to make for him, Samson and the franchise.

Dravid, who returns to RR after a highly successful stint with the Indian team which concluded with the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, praised Samson for being actively involved in the discussions regarding the retentions.

“He was very involved in our decision process as well. Samson played a big role in the retention, and it was difficult for him as well. As a captain, he has built a lot of relationships with the players. He has had a lot of balanced views about this,” Dravid told Jio Cinema.

The RR coach added, “He has taken the trouble to understand the dynamics of it, the pros and cons of this. So, I would like to praise him for discussing this with us. It was not an easy decision for us either.”

Sanju Samson will be our captain in the future too: Rahul Dravid

Dravid and Samson had worked together previously at RR a decade ago. Dravid took the Kerala player under his wings when he first played for RR and then became the franchise’s mentor.

Dravid also confirmed that Samson, who has been leading RR since IPL 2021, will continue to lead them in the future too. Under Samson, RR reached their second IPL final in 2022 but lost to Gujarat Titans.

The RR coach said, “Samson is our batsman, wicketkeeper and captain. He has been the captain of this team for many years. So, it was a no-brainer for us to retain him as he will be our captain in the future too. He was a top retainer pick for us and he was very involved in our decision process as well.”

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.