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October 9, 2024
Former India cricket coach Rahul Dravid is returning to the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the coach of the Rajasthan Royals. Dravid recently completed his term as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, which concluded after the 2024 T20 World Cup.
According to a report from ESPNcricinfo, Dravid has signed a deal with the Rajasthan Royals and has already started discussions about player retention for the upcoming mega auction. This marks Dravid’s return to the franchise, as he was previously their second captain, taking over from the late Shane Warne.
Rahul Dravid was appointed captain of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2012 at the age of 39. During his tenure, he led the team in 40 matches, winning 23 of them. After his captaincy, Dravid served as the team’s mentor for two seasons (2014 and 2015) before taking on the role of coach for India’s Under-19 and ‘A’ teams. Under his guidance, India won the U-19 World Cup in 2018.
Dravid later became the head of cricket operations at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. In 2021, he succeeded Ravi Shastri as the head coach of the Indian men’s team, wrapping up his term with a successful campaign at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Additionally, reports suggest that RR is likely to hire former India batter Vikram Rathour as one of Dravid’s assistant coaches. Rathour, who was part of Dravid’s coaching staff at the NCA, previously served as India’s batting coach since 2019 after being a former India selector.
Read More: Zaheer Khan’s Presence Will Help LSG Players Uplift Their Performance: Jonty Rhodes
Lucknow Super Giants’ fielding coach, Jonty Rhodes, expressed his concerns about the Impact Player rule in the Indian Premier League (IPL), stating that he is not a “big fan” of it because it undermines the role of all-rounders. His critique aligns with the views of prominent players like Rohit Sharma, who argue that this rule discourages the growth of all-rounders and contributes to inflated scores in matches.
In contrast, Ravichandran Ashwin sees the Impact Player rule as beneficial, believing it adds a valuable strategic element to the game.
“I am siding myself with the right use of the Impact player rule because players are almost playing with freedom so I’m just worried about the role of an all-rounder because it’s a simple role but plays a vital job in cricket and you need that for test cricket 50 over and all other T20s as well.”
“So I am not a massive fan of that impact player and maybe I’m just not smart enough to work out when the right strategy to use the player is. But again, it’s not my decision when to send a player in, so I’m not losing sleep about it. I’m always up for change and to try things to adapt the game, and make it more exciting and enjoyable. And I think it certainly did that, big scores were put on the board in last season. But I’m still really concerned about the role of the all-rounder, the importance of the role of the all-rounder in T20 cricket, and the Impact Player rule is certainly killing it,” Rhodes told IANS.
The Impact Player rule, introduced in IPL 2023, allows teams to utilize 12 players instead of the traditional 11. This means that a team can substitute any player, whether a bowler or a batter, at any point during the match, effectively giving them the advantage of an extra player.
Jonty Rhodes also commented on the Right to Match (RTM) rule, stating that it isn’t a major concern for him. However, he emphasized that the implications depend on how many players the BCCI allows teams to retain. Rhodes believes that a club’s identity is shaped by its players, so losing key players raises significant questions about a franchise’s stability and future.
“I’m not big involved in the auction set up so it’s not something that I give a lot of thought to. I don’t lose any sleep over right to match that’s for sure. But retention and how many players you can have is obviously questionable because you try and build a culture within a team as a coach. It’s not just the coaching skills, you try and build a culture within a team as a coach i mean it’s not just the coaching skills you try and bring a team culture in and when you’re losing a good part of your team in the mega auctions it’s very tough to do that so so right to match for me is a case of okay. But the question is can we retain more than just two or three or four players because that’s how you build a team culture.”
The Right to Match (RTM) regulation allows teams to retain a player from the previous season by matching the highest bid made by another franchise. Since its introduction in 2014, the RTM rule has not been utilized in IPL auctions since 2018.
Currently, the BCCI has not finalized the number of player retentions and RTM cards for the upcoming IPL season, as teams had differing opinions during a recent board meeting. For instance, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad—both of which performed well in the previous season—are seeking to retain their players for more than three seasons. In contrast, other franchises like the Punjab Kings prefer minimal retention, aiming to enter the auction with a fresh strategy.
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