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With a mega auction likely to take place ahead of the IPL 2025 season, several teams will be busy figuring out which players they need to retain to have a core ready once the number of retentions is finalized. However, some teams also have a lot to ponder when it comes to head coaches.
While the team composition and the quality of the players directly impact the performances of the team, the presence of an influencing figure in the form of a head coach also plays a massive role in shaping their season.
On that note, let's take a look at three IPL teams that are likely to have a new head coach ahead of the next season:
#3 Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals (DC) will certainly have a new head coach next season as they have already parted ways with Ricky Ponting. The former Australian captain was with the Capitals for seven seasons and tasted a bit of success in terms of going deep into the tournament.
DC made it to the playoffs in the 2019, 2020, and 2021 editions and qualified for the final in 2020, losing to a star-studded Mumbai Indians outfit. However, failure to reach the playoffs in the past three seasons must have played a role in both parties mutually agreeing to move on.
While the director of cricket Sourav Ganguly bluntly spoke on Ponting's departure and said that he himself could be the next head coach, the Capitals are yet to make an official announcement.
#2 Gujarat Titans
The Gujarat Titans (GT) had a season of transition in IPL 2024 as they traded away their captain Hardik Pandya to the Mumbai Indians. Their performances had a significant dip after winning the title in the first edition and making it to the final in the second. GT finished eighth in IPL 2024 with just five wins in the league phase.
According to a report by News18, head coach Ashish Nehra and director of cricket Vikram Solanki may leave their roles ahead of IPL 2025.
Here's what the source mentioned:
"Lot of changes on the cards. Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki are highly likely to move on and discussions around Yuvraj Singh have already begun. Nothing is finalised right now but there could be some major changes in the coaching staff of the Gujarat Titans."
It will be interesting to see if Gujarat manage to bag the services of Yuvraj Singh. They will be hoping for a better showing in IPL 2025 with Shubman Gill now also being named as the vice-captain of the Indian T20I team.
#1 Rajasthan Royals
Rahul Dravid had a sensational end to his tenure as the Indian head coach as the Men in Blue won the T20 World Cup. BCCi secretary Jay Shah claimed that Dravid denied an extension to his contract, citing family commitments as a reason.
However, according to a report by TOI, the Rajasthan Royals are closing in on announcing Rahul Dravid as their new head coach. The Royals had a pretty successful three-year IPL cycle from the last mega auction, making it to the final in 2022 and reaching Qualifier 2 earlier this year.
It will be interesting to see if they will retain the services of Kumar Sangakkara as Director of Cricket if Dravid's appointment is confirmed. Dravid has also led the Royals as a player and was a mentor during the 2014 and 2015 editions of the league.
