Rahul Dravid to make comeback for Rajasthan Royals as Kumar Sangakkara expected to step down: Report

After stepping down as the India head coach in June following the team's T20 World Cup win, Rahul Dravid humorously asked the media to help him find a job. However, amidst rumors linking him to various teams and franchises, the latest report from Cricbuzz suggests that Dravid may make a return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming season.

Rajasthan Royals, the champions of the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008, do not have a head coach as former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara serves as the Director of Cricket since 2021 while Shane Bond and Trevor Penny are the assistant coaches.

The departure of Matthew Mott as the head coach of the England white-ball unit has left a vacancy in one of the most highly sought-after roles in world cricket. Media has already linked the names of a host of former players and leading coaches. But the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) reportedly want Sangakkara for the role.

Why Kumar Sangakkara is primed to take over the England head coach position

According to Cricbuzz, Sangakkara could likely hand over the reins to the most the obvious successor, Dravid, for the head coach role. The former India batter previously served as a mentor for the Royals towards the end of his career in 2014 and later as their coach before joining the BCCI setup.

Sangakkara was recently asked about him being linked to the England role and he did not reject the idea entirely. He said: "Well, I know my name has been mentioned for some reason, but there has not been any approach as such. I think the England white-ball job is an exciting prospect for anyone, but there are so many good candidates out there. I am very happy at the moment. The Rajasthan Royals experience has been very fulfilling and it has been a job I have really enjoyed over the last four years."

The report further revealed why Sangakkara is primed to take over the England head coach position. Not only is he close to CB managing director Rob Key, he has also worked with Jos Buttler in the Rajasthan Royals camp and shares a good equation with the England white-ball captain.

ECB is yet to begin the selection process of finding a replacement for Mott. "There will be an interview process at some point but there is no shortlist as of now," an ECB official told the website. Meanwhile, Marcus Trescothick has been appointed as a stop-gap role for next month's five-match home ODI series against Australia.

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