With Gautam Gambhir’s appointment as Team India’s new head coach all but sealed, Rahul Dravid has reportedly been approached to replace him as the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Gambhir was roped in as the mentor of the Knight Riders before the start of the 2024 season, with co-owner Shah Rukh reportedly giving him a 10-year plan. But, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) offer came calling, Gambhir found it tough to resist the temptation.
However, Gambhir’s impending departure to the Indian team would leave a big void at KKR, considering the franchise hugely benefitted from his guidance, clinching the IPL 2024 title. The franchise’s bosses have reportedly put Dravid’s name on the top of their shortlist for the role that Gambhir will be leaving.
In a report by News 18 Bangla, a number of IPL franchises are keen to hire Dravid as coach or mentor ahead of the 2025 season. The Knight Riders also have him on the radar, though no concrete discussion has taken place as yet.
As India lifted the T20 World Cup 2024 title, beating South Africa in the final, Dravid did joke about being ‘jobless’ from the next month, and was asking reporters if they have any offers. A man of the talent of Dravid, and the gold-worthy experience in Indian cricket, franchises are understandably lining up to rope him into the team.
Dravid didn’t want to continue as the Indian team’s head coach as he didn’t want to spend 10 months a year travelling, keeping himself away from the family. But, the Indian Premier League is different. In the T20 league, Dravid only needs to be with the franchise for 2-3 months a year, a prospect he could fancy.
The former India captain has worked as a mentor and coach with IPL franchises in the past. Dravid was the coach of Delhi Daredevils franchise before leaving the job in 2017 over ‘conflict of interest’. Since ending his IPL career, Dravid has worked as the coach of India’s junior teams, including Under-19 and India A.
He was most recently working as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru before taking up the India job in 2021.
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