"Regular Disagreements...": With Rahul Dravid-Sanju Samson Equation In Focus After RR Exit, Report's Big Claims

From the time Rajasthan Royals finished a lowly ninth in IPL 2025, with just four wins from 14 games, the murmurs had already begun. They grew louder when reports suggested that captain Sanju Samson, also a long-time RR loyalist, had asked the franchise to release him ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Then came the big announcement: coach Rahul Dravid had quit the RR ranks after just one season at the helm.

Now, a report has explored several reasons behind the meltdown at RR. According to Cricbuzz, Dravid and the RR management had been in discussion since July. RR owner Manoj Badale was keen to retain him, but in a different role. In fact, in its official press release, it was said that Dravid was offered a broader role, which he declined.

Interestingly, Dravid's departure comes at a time when rumours surrounding Sanju Samson are growing.

"Samson was clearly unhappy with the way things unfolded for the Royals during the IPL, in addition to his injury. Dravid, though, may not be solely responsible for the captain's disillusionment. Their relationship was believed to have been no more than the usual, normal, and regular disagreements that are seen in the relations between any coach and captain. In fact, both of them are old Royals hands, and one would only assume that their getting together would be critical to the franchise's future—and by all accounts, this was on view in the last few games where they seemed to be syncing together nicely to win a few games," the report said.

The report further stated that there were three schools of thought regarding the RR captaincy — with three stars, Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Riyan Parag, in the fray.

"It was not as if the equation between them was damaged totally. The buzz outside the setup suggests that within the franchise, there were three different schools of thought: one group pushed for Riyan Parag, who captained the side in a few games; another backed Yashasvi Jaiswal as the future leader; while a third preferred maintaining the status quo — with Samson continuing at the helm," it said.

Next, according to the report, Dravid has been approached by quite a few franchises. Meanwhile, Samson, in all likelihood, could also be on his way out of RR.

Topics mentioned in this article

Rajasthan Royals Sanju Samson Rahul Dravid Cricket