Rajasthan Royals on Friday announced the appointment of former India captain Rahul Dravid as the Head Coach on a multi-year contract.

The former Royals’ captain and coach spent five seasons with the franchise from 2011 to 2015 and will commence with the team immediately, working with Royals’ Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara to implement the franchise’s overall cricketing strategy.

Dravid, 51, who is inarguably one of the greatest batters to have represented India, began his coaching career with the Royals back in 2014 when he transitioned from serving as the captain to being the team’s mentor.

Since then, Dravid has been involved in various capacities with the National Cricket Academy (NCA), the Indian Men’s U19, and the Indian Men’s Senior team, leading the nation to the top of the Test, ODI and T20I rankings during his tenure, and topping it up with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup crown recently.

“We are delighted to be bringing Rahul back to the franchise. His exceptional coaching capabilities are evident with the transformation he’s driven in Indian cricket. He also has a deep connection to the franchise, and we’ve seen that passion come through in all our conversations. His expertise in getting the best out of both younger and experienced talent, along with the values with which he operates, align seamlessly with our franchise, and just a quick skim of social media tells me the fans will be excited to see him back with us,” welcoming Dravid back to the Royals Family, Jake Lush McCrum, Chief Executive Officer, of Royals Sports Group, said.

“Rahul has already got to work with Kumar (Sangakkara) and the rest of the team, as we prepare for this exciting new period for the franchise starting with IPL retention and the auction just around the corner,” he added.

“I am pleased to be returning to the franchise I have called ‘home’ for a number of years in the past. After the World Cup, I feel it’s the ideal time for me to take on another challenge, and the Royals is the perfect place to do that. A lot of hard work and deliberations from Manoj, Jake, Kumar and the team has gone into the progression that the franchise has made over the past few years. It’s an exciting opportunity for us to take this team to the next level given the kind of talent and resources we have at our disposal and I’m looking forward to getting started,” expressing his thoughts upon his return to the Royals, Rahul Dravid said.