'Rahul Dravid was sort of kicked out of Rajasthan Royals': De Villiers' explosive claim sparks buzz; 'it's never ideal'

Former South Africa batter AB de Villiers speculated that head coach Rahul Dravid was probably "kicked out" of the Rajasthan Royals after he turned down the "broader role" the franchise offered him. The India legend abruptly ended his second stint with the team, exactly a year after he was appointed on a multi-year deal. Rahul Dravid parted ways with the RR ahead of the IPL 2026 season(REUTERS)

"Rahul has been central to the Royals' journey over many years. His leadership has influenced a generation of players, built strong values within the squad, and left an indelible mark on the culture of the franchise," the release stated. "As part of the franchise structural review, Rahul had been offered a broader position at the franchise, but has chosen not to take this. The Rajasthan Royals, its players, and millions of fans worldwide extend heartfelt thanks to Rahul for his remarkable service to the franchise."

Speaking on his social media show '360 LIVE,' De Villiers speculated that Dravid may have been edged out by Rajasthan Royals management after refusing the new role, hinting that despite his immense influence, the decision felt like he was "kicked out. "

"It sort of sounds to me like it was an owner or management kind of call. They gave him an option to have a broader role in the team. He sort of turned that down. Maybe he was upset because he really wanted to be still involved. He wanted to be in the dugout. Maybe it was his call. I don't know. We'll. I'm pretty sure we'll find out once we get him talking about it in the future. Maybe. But Rahul, obviously, is leaving big footsteps behind, big shoes to fill," he said.

"He's a larger-than-life kind of character, and he knows a lot about the game. And I personally have spoken to youngsters before on this show as well. Actually, some of my interviews were with a lot of people who spoke about him having a huge influence on their careers. So, yeah, you will definitely be missed."

The former RCB batter added that Rajasthan's move felt reminiscent of football clubs, where abrupt decisions are made by the management when coaches fail to meet expectations. The 2008 IPL winners aimed to end their long-standing drought by roping in Dravid last September, who had just guided India to a T20 World Cup haul. But the Royals finished ninth last season after managing just four wins in 14 league games.

De Villiers also felt that letting go of too many stalwarts too quickly unsettled the balance and accelerated the franchise's decline rather than rejuvenating it.

"Sometimes you see it in the Premier League as well, the football league, where the managers and the coaches are always under huge pressure to perform and to bring trophies home. And once they don't, they start hearing from the owners and whoever makes the decisions for the various leagues, sorry, franchises, so we don't know the facts really. It sounds to me like the fact that he turned down that other role, sort of like he was kicked out, which is never ideal. But maybe Rajasthan have different ideas for the upcoming season. Maybe they want to shake things up a bit and move forward with that. I don't think they had the greatest auction last time, as they let go of some incredible players, the likes of Jos Butler, to name but a few, which I thought was a mistake. They sometimes are a good thing, but not overly aggressive for you. You can let one or two go, but they. They let a huge bulk of their team go at once, I think, a gradual sort of decline."

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