Why Rahul Dravid left RR? Reports claim 'captaincy row involving Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag and Yashasvi Jaiswal' as a  massive reason

Rahul Dravid stepped down as the head coach of Rajasthan Royals.

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) have become a major talking point in the Indian Premier League (IPL) world. Since the last few months, there has been a lot of news circulating about the franchise and its players, with the 2026 edition of the league around the corner. 

Over the last few months, there have been a lot of talks about Sanju Samson leaving the team. Some reports claimed that he isn’t happy with the management and hence he wants to explore new options, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) being the primary choice. 

While this was going on, RR were jolted by the massive blow. Head coach Rahul Dravid stepped down from the role after just one edition. He was also offered a higher role in the organisation, but he didn’t accept that, potentially signalling a rift. 

However, the reports in Cricbuzz suggest that there are different layers behind Rahul David’s exit. These include a potential power struggle over team leadership and Dravid’s disapproval of strategic calls, particularly around the future captaincy. 

Another section of reports in PTI claimed that the higher role that Rahul Dravid was not what a head coach gets. The role seemed to him more of a “punishment promotion,” effectively sidelining him from key strategic decisions — including squad building and captaincy appointments. 

Rahul Dravid was against RR’s management decision to make Riyan Parag skipper 

The key reason behind Rahul David’s decision to leave the franchise was the saga of Riyan Parag’s captaincy. With Sanju Samson set to leave the team, the RR management is keen on backing Riyan Parag and making him the next face of the franchise. 

This is because Riyan Parag enjoys a huge fan base in the North East, especially at Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium, which serves as RR’s second home ground. The management feels that he is an integral part of the team’s branding in other regions as well.

This didn’t go well with Rahul Dravid, who prefers merit-based selection and long-term cricketing vision. The former Indian head coach was in favour of Yashasvi Jaiswal taking the leadership as he is a regular India international and a consistent performer in the IPL. 

The reports also said that Sanju Samson leaving the franchise has also been the main reason behind Rahul David’s exit. The head coach of the side shared a great rapport with Samson and he was unhappy with the way things unfolded. 

“Dravid has always backed Sanju — as a player and a leader. To see the team planning its next phase without much clarity on Sanju’s future likely added to his discomfort,” a source said.

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